Secrets
by batman.wolverine
Summary: [COMPLETE] Hot Summer Nights cause people to rush for something cold...secrets start coming out. What all will be revealed? [Movieverse canon only till after X2. No X3] [RoLo, Jott and others]
1. Hot & Cold

**SECRETS**

**Author: **Batman.Wolverine  
**Fandom(s): **X-Men Movieverse  
**Genre:** Romance, Drama, Humor, Action.  
**Pairing/Characters:** RoLo, Jott and others (all inside)  
**Rating:** T

**Summary:** Hot Summer Nights cause people to rush for something cold...secrets start coming out. What all will be revealed?  
**Warnings (and Spoilers):** X-Men 1 and 2 movies.  
**Notes:** This Fic. is set in the Movieverse and starts about eighteen months after X2 ended. Nothing to do with X3.

**Disclaimer: **Don't own any of the x-men character in any of the different Marvel universes (Cartoon, Comic or Movie). All owned and copyrighted by Marvel Comics.

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**1. Hot and Cold**

It had been seventeen months since Jean Grey died at Alkali Lake and eight since she 'came back'. After the initial euphoria and/or wariness – depending on the individual mansion resident – had worn off, things had pretty much returned to normal. Scott didn't waste a single moment and as soon as Hank completed the barrage of tests….he and Jean tied the knot.

Much to everyone's relief, Logan didn't make any trouble for them, in fact he shook Scott's hand, kissed Jean on the forehead and gave them his best wishes. What he did was that he left the mansion, but not before giving Scott a warning. "I'm giving you one chance one-eye, screw this up and hurt her an' you will have six new holes in your body….at least six," he had said with a complementary snarl.

If the same warning had been given before Alkali Lake…both of them would be going against each other. But that seemed like a lifetime ago. After returning from the lake, Logan had informed Scott of Jean's choice and after a good drinking spree had accepted it for himself. Over the next year they had set into a comfortable if not deep companionship. Logan had joined the x-men and had even taken up teaching self-defense to the students and staff.

When he left, he had taken an indefinite break from his self-defense class, leaving Scott and Remy Lebeau, Rogue's boyfriend in charge of the class schedule. Remy had been one of the institute's latest recruits along with Dr. Henry 'Hank' McCoy, better known as Beast.

He returned soon – just after two months, the deep roar of 'his' bike covered by the storm and lightening. The next morning he was back to his normal schedule, acting as if he had never left.

He was still the only one who called Rogue 'Marie'. That was something even Remy didn't do. Everyone knew that the name Marie was only for Wolverine. It was his name for his young friend. Their relationship had grown to a friend-brother-sister kind of thing, and everyone knew that….if you messed with Rogue, she would rip you a new one and then Wolverine would rip you apart. He had even given that _advise_ to Remy, who he didn't favor much but only tolerated because Rogue liked him and because he had seen the way they acted towards each other…..and most important of all the way the young Cajun could bring a smile to Rogue's lips.

Bobby and Rogue had broken up soon after Alkali Lake. Luckily, it had been amicable and they were good friends now, with Bobby dating another student – Lorna Dane 'Polaris'. She had turned out to be another of Magneto's kids, but instead of joining the brotherhood, her adoptive parents had admitted her to the institute. She had magnetic powers similar to her father, but instead of his white hair, hers were an interesting shade of green.

Overall, almost everyone was happy and involved in one way or another.

Even Magneto seemed to be have taken a break from his world domination plans…but that just meant that he would hit back with a vengeance.

----

It was the usual sweltering summer night and even the air conditioning couldn't sedate the weather goddess Storm, also known as Ororo Monroe.

Feeling a sudden craving for something cold, she made her way to the mansion kitchen. Summoning her winds, she floated through the halls, not wanting to disturb the sleeping residents.

Entering the kitchen, she was confronted by a _relatively_ scantily clad Rogue.

Even after two years at the institute and hours of training sessions with the Professor, the young woman hadn't been able to get control over her skin. However, she had become more comfortable with it, wearing less constrictive clothing, especially at times like this….hot late nights, when there was a less chance of running into any other mansion resident.

"Rogue" Marie froze at the voice behind and jerked her head up, hitting it in the fridge door.

"Ow…" she yelped, clutching her head and rubbing it vigorously.

"I am sorry for startling you" Ororo apologized. "I didn't expect anyone to be here at this time."

"Same heah" Rogue gave a lopsided grin, exactly mimicking Wolverine.

"Are you hurt?" Ororo inquired, taking note of the way Rogue was still rubbing her head. "Maybe we should go the med lab and contact Hank or Jean."

"Did someone call for Jean," the smooth voice announced the entry of the Redheaded doctor.

"Oh, hey Jean" Rogue called out, taking her hand away from her head. "Its nothin'. Ah just hit muh on the door, nothin' t' worry about."

"Are you sure?" Jean sounded concerned. "Maybe we should go the med lab. It could be serious."

"No." Rogue's slightly defiant tone signaled the end of that conversation. "Right now, what Ah need is somethin' cold t' drink….preferably a beer."

"Rogue!" Jean exclaimed at the girl's declaration. She sometimes forgot that although Rogue was not even nineteen years old, she had a 'god-knows-how-old' mutant in her head.

"What brought upon this?" she asked calming down, it had been months since she had had such a _Wolvie-burst_ as Jubilee called it.

"Nothin'." Rogue grew somber, "Ah just had another one…..and needed somethin' t' calm me down." Both Jean and Ororo knew what she meant by another one. It was another nightmare, either….one of her own or of Magneto or Wolverine.

"Well I was going to prepare some lemonade," offered Ororo. "Would either of you be interested."

"Sure" shrugged Rogue. "Why not…its not like there is anything else besides milk or soda."

"I was thinking about ice cream soda," Jean mused. "But I could go with lemonade, but with soda and not water. With ice cream on the side. What do you say?" she asked her teammates.

"Yah got yerself a deal" chirped Rogue, opening the fridge to get the required ingredients.

----

Ten minutes later, the three of them settled around the kitchen island, empty glasses on one side and their ice cream bowls on the other. In front of them were five different flavors of ice cream, sliced fruits, nuts, three different kinds of syrups and a large decanter filled with ice cold lemon soda.

"We have enough to feed an army," Jean declared, opening the top of the one of the ice cream tubs. "…or three famished x-women" she added as an after thought, gaining chuckles from her teammates.

"Rogue…" Ororo's honey smooth voice filled with concern. "Would you like to talk about your….dream?"

"Yah can say it…" grinned Rogue, "Nightmare, and thank you but Ah'd rather not. Ah usually talk t' th' Professor or Logan, an' both of them are not heah."

"I know about the Professor" Jean commented, busy preparing her double fudge sundae. "He is in Washington, but Logan...he should be in his room. Isn't he there?"

"No." Rogue answered taking a long draw of the tangy lemon soda. "He's gone into town."

"I know." Ororo answered calmly, gaining raised eyebrows from both Jean and Rogue. "What?" she asked innocently.

"How do you know?" Jean asked; her eyes narrowing as she tried to dig up information from her best friend. She had first noticed the closeness between the Wolverine and Storm a month after Wolverine's return. Initially she had disregarded it to Logan's usual flirtatious behavior, but on closer observation, she realized that it was something more.

Both of them acted slightly different with each other, than they did with anyone else. It wasn't visible to the normal eye but it was there. Ororo was a bit open around Logan, slightly loosening the reins on her tightly held emotions, while Logan…he seemed to calm down whenever Ororo was within easy reach of his senses, preferably all at once – scent, hearing and visual.

"Oh….Umm…" Ororo was slightly frazzled at Jean's sudden outburst. She knew Jean well and knew that she was fishing now. "I was on my nightly walk when I saw him leave."

"Hmm…" Jean didn't sound convinced and just stopped herself from using her telepathic powers.

Oblivious to the looks Jean was giving Ororo, Rogue was literally shoveling the ice cream into her mouth.

----

"Ah love yer hair." all three were startled at Rogue's sudden declaration.

"Thank you," Ororo answered evenly, smiling at the teenager. Even after eight months on the road, two years at the institute and two life-threatening events later, Rogue still had her southern innocence.

"Ah mean….the Wolverine in mah head likes" Rogue grinned at her. "He likes long hair. His favorite used t' be Red, but lately he's started likin' platinum-white tresses."

"Lately?" questioned Jean. "Did Logan touch you again?"

"Yes." Rogue answered nonchalantly, as if it was the normal thing to happen to her. She had become used to Wolverine's strong presence within her and the latest touch wasn't as unexpected as the first one or intense as the second one. It felt more an information update.

"When? How? Why didn't you come to the med lab? Why didn't HE come to the med lab?" Jean was seriously concerned now, going into full doctor mode.

"Oh it was nothing." Rogue flipped her hand. "It was just fer a few seconds. Ah had another of my nightmares and had gone to him. He was calming me down, when his fingers brushed against mah neck," she informed, patting the back of her neck. "And moreover he hates the med lab."

"How long was he unconscious for?" Ororo was equally concerned, although it wasn't easily discernable. "You should have at least reported it."

"Ahm sorry." Rogue was suddenly nervous. 'Ah shouldn't have said anything,' she cursed herself.

"No need to be sorry child," Ororo stated softly, laying a hand on Rogue's shoulder. "We are just concerned about your's and Logan's welfare."

"Ah know." Rogue looked down, her ice cream forgotten. "It's just that he told meh not t' tell anyone…." she clarified. "An' he was conscious the whole time…just a little tired. There was minimal power transfer, it faded within a couple o' days. Just the memories remained, an' they're mostly gone too."

"Then its ok." Ororo patted her back, signaling Jean to keep quite or change the subject.

----

"So Logan likes Ororo's hair huh," Jean grinned at the shock in Ororo's eyes at her choice of subject. "What else does he like about her….about us? I mean what does he feel about of us?"

"Jean." Ororo scolded, her mocha colored cheeks, flushing at her friend's insinuation. "She cannot tell us that. It would be like you giving out doctor-patient information. It is confidential."

"Oh come on Ororo." Jean pouted, "A little bit…just something not very personal. Like for example, hmmm…how does he feel about Scott?"

The words had barely left her mouth when Rogue answered, her usual soft voice hardening with a hint of the Wolverine. "Scooter's a dick," she blurted before clamping her mouth shut with her hands, her eyes wide in horror at her outburst.

Jean's mouth fell open, while Ororo laughed out loudly at her reaction. "Serves you right."

"Ahm sorry." Rogue apologized, her hands still in front of her mouth to stop anything else from coming out.

"It's alright," Jean chuckled herself. "I should have known better than to ask such a question at such a time. You didn't say anything that we haven't heard before. I just thought that maybe the past two years might have improved his view of Scott."

Feeling sorry for her ex-teacher and current teammate, Rogue relented and let out a little more information. "Oh Ahm just going ta tell ya this, but you have gotta keep it t' yerself. Logan thinks Scott's a dick, but he respects his commitment to the institute and the Professor's vision. He is thankful to ya'll fer what ya have done for meh. And is also happy fer th' both of ya fer yor marriage."

Both women were stunned at the girl's words. It was as if they had never expected Logan to have such deep thoughts and that too about Scott. What did he think about the rest of them?

"That's…that's…." Jean tried, her mind still processing the depth of the information Rogue had given. "Wow." was all she could manage.

"Thank you for telling us that" Ororo thanked on Jean's behalf.

"I never thought that he would think that way," Jean said honestly. "Especially about our marriage. He left the day Scott proposed again and didn't return for two months."

"Yes." Rogue answered softly. "He went to his cabin and did a lot of thinking in that time and decided to make a lot of changes."

"Yes." Jean chuckled, getting her chance to tease Ororo. "Like moving from Red to White."

"Red to…" Rogue was confused, but Ororo caught onto her.

"_JEAN_." she exclaimed. "You don't have to rub it in. We all know you are number one in Logan's list of women."

"No, she ain't the one." Rogue clamped her hands on her mouth again. The ice cream, soda and calm atmosphere was doing a trick on her, causing her to lower her mental barriers and babble uncontrollably.

"She's not?" Ororo exclaimed; her interest piqued at the news.

"Ooh." Jean rubbed her hands in glee. "This is going to be interesting. Who is the most important woman in Logan's life?"

Rogue shook her head, her hands still on her mouth. She didn't trust herself to speak another word.

"Come on Rogue," Jean pleaded. "I could get the information from you…you know."

"Jean" Ororo scolded her friend. "You wouldn't."

"What?" Jean shrugged her shoulders. "I am just joking. But please Rogue you've got to answer the question. Who is the most important woman in Logan's life?"

"Uhn…there's not just one." Rogue answered meekly. "Three."

"Figures…" Jean chuckled. "The Wolverine can't settle with just one. So who are the three most important women in Logan's life?"

"Uhn…." Rogue was even more nervous now and looked towards Ororo for support, but the look on her face clearly reflected her interest.

"Rogue." Jean pressed on.

"You, you and me." Rogue pointed to her teammates and then to herself.

"What?" Jean exclaimed. Tonight was turning to be quite a revelation.

"Yes." Rogue answered, a bit confidently.

----

"Why us?" Jean asked further.

Deciding to explain it completely, Rogue took a deep breath and started speaking.

"You Jean," she began, "Because you are you and you remind him something from his forgotten past."

"Forgotten past?"

"Yes…I don't know, but somehow, Logan relates you to someone from his life before Weapon X. Someone very near to him. Not his wife or immediate family member, but someone equally precious."

Jean was silent, absorbing the news that one of reason of Logan's attraction towards her could be his subconscious trying to remind him of his past life.

"Me," she said about herself. "I am important because he feels a certain familial possessiveness towards me. I am in a way his first family in his new life. His feelings towards me encompass all relations friend, father, brother, even a teenaged lover." She smiled wistfully at the last words.

Jean remembered Rogue's crush on Logan. She had got over it and finally started dating Bobby and now Remy. The crush had matured into a friendship and the bond between the young southern girl and the ageless wild man was clear for anyone to see.

"You Ororo," Ororo was holding her breath at what Logan thought about her. "You are a mystery."

"And…" Ororo asked expectantly.

Jean sensed the underlying emotions hidden by her calm curiosity.

"You are something he hasn't been able to place yet. You keep on confusing him. Every time he seems to have figured you out, you do something to over turn everything, causing him to start afresh."

The three women sat in silence, thinking about the man who could be barbaric enough to make a living by cage fighting and erudite enough to have such profound philosophical thoughts.

Their thoughts were interrupted by the thumping of a motorcycle engine. Logan was back.

----

Five minutes later, Logan sauntered into the kitchen, the sound of his cracking his neck echoing in the silent corridor.

"Would you mind not doi…." Jean's words were caught in her mouth at the sight of his bloodied tattered shirt covered partially by his leather jacket casually slung over one shoulder.

"Logan." she was up in an instant, "What happened? Who attacked you? Sabertooth? Brotherh…."

He held up a hand to silence her. Stepping sideways he made his way to the sink, opened the tap and dunked his head under the cold water. He stood there for a couple of minutes, giving a detailed view of his delectable behind to the three women.

"Marie…" his first words were for Rogue. "What are you doing up so late?"

Rogue's silence told him everything he needed to know. Grabbing an extra towel from the supply closet, he started rubbing his head with one hand while running his other hand….his other uncovered hand through her hair. "One of mine?" he questioned in a soft voice, as Rogue leaned into him.

"No…" she mumbled turning to wrap her arms around his abdomen.

"Sorry kid…" he bent down and placed a soft kiss on her head. "I had to get out….sorry I wasn't there."

"It's ok," she murmured. The two of them were lost in each other, the other two people in the room forgotten. "I laid down in you room for a while…it helped. And you were there…you are always there." She smiled up at him, pointing towards her head.

Logan smiled back at her. "Come lets get you back to bed. Yer yella must be loosing what little mind she has."

"Jubilee." Rogue grinned at him. "She must be busy dreaming about the world's largest mall with the world's largest sale."

With that, she let go of him, pushed the chair back and stood up.

"Logan…" Jean called out to him. "You didn't tell what happened to you? You are covered with blood. Did you get into a fight or something?"

Logan grinned at her, "or something."

Digging into his left back pocket, he pulled out a wad of notes and held it out to Ororo.

"'Ro, this is yers" he smiled as she took the money, a mischievous smile on her lips.

"So how much did I win tonight?" she asked with a twinkle in her eyes.

"Two thousand," Logan returned with a feral grin. "Plus this. Initial hundred," with that he held out her a single hundred-dollar bill.

"What is this all about?" Jean was felling lost. Rogue stood silently, smiling at the interaction between the Logan and Ororo.

"Oh nothing" Ororo started walking towards the door. "Just my winnings."

"Winnings?"

"Yes. I bet on the _Great_ Wolverine," with that she called on her winds and floated out of the room.

"Bet?" she looked at Logan who had started leading Rogue towards the door, a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"Yes Jennie. Bet. As in fighting bet." Looking back at her he gave a parting wink. "Maybe ya should try getting Scooter to come with me sometime. But don't bet on him. He's a…"

"I know…" Jean held out a hand. "Good night Logan," smiling and shaking her head, she started walking towards her room.

----

Walking towards her and Scott's room, she had a single thought running in her mind,

'Is it just me or is there something between Ororo and Logan.'

-

-

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**_Note:_** Had written this fic quite some time ago. Will be reworking it (about two and a half chapters) to make it post-able here. 


	2. Late Nights

A/N: Thanks to henred5, betrue, majinmefor their reviews. The whole betting thing, it hadn't been a concious choice...just something that came up automatically when writing about Ororo's part in the night's conversation.

'anyways, more Ororo and Logan here...and also...

BW

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**2. LATE NIGHTS**

**Summary: **What happens late at night?

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'_Is it just me or is there something between Ororo and Logan.'_

With that thought swirling around in her mind, Jean returned to her, retiring for the ngiht, her arm wrapped around her softly snoring husband's chest.

---

Later in the night,

A silent figure prowls the halls of the Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters. He is restless tonight, the animal inside him not sated by the beating he gave those five challengers. No one beats he Wolverine, not even that walking hairball Sabertooth.

Tonight he needs something else. He needs _someone_ else.

Her.

He needs her, for she is the only one who is always able to calm the beast and bring the man back from the brink of animalistic insanity.

His mind made up, he silently turns on his feet, like a large two-legged cat tracking its prey. Except that tonight, it is not a prey, its not even a woman….its a goddess. He wants to go to his Goddess.

No, not wants…he _needs_ to go his Goddess.

--

Unsheathing a solitary claw, he unlocks the door, silently turning the knob to push open the entrance of her inner sanctum. He needs to be silent. Not for her. She knows that he comes to her. Especially on nights like this, he always comes to her.

"Logan?" The call from the bed beckons the man, but as we already know, tonight its not the man. He growls to let her know that.

"Oh." He can see her smirk lifting to a smile. The soft moonlight screening in from the sky window, brings an ethereal glow to her soft mocha skin, naked for him to see. Just for him.

Its' as if she knew that he would come, and knowing the way she knows him, she most probably did. In that regard, she is ready for him, to face him…the animal. "Wolverine?"

"No." The mixture of spoken voice and a growl lets her know that tonight is a special night. A very rare occasion. Tonight both man and beast are there.

She also knows the cause for that. The beast came out during the fights, but the man was needed to calm the young woman who needs him to deal with nightmares – her own, his and also of the master of the magnetism, the one who tried to kill her.

"Its you," she lets him know that she knows who he is right now. "Come to me," her arms lift to him, beckoning him to come to her, into her circle of love and understanding.

They have done this so many times, its second nature to them.

--

Taking off his only clothing – his skin tight weather worn jeans, he lowers himself to her side, letting her hug him and immersing him in the soothing pool of her natural calming scents – vanilla and sandalwood.

"I was waiting for you," she whispers into his ear, her warm breath, ticking his neck.

"Marie...nightmare…" is all he says. They don't need any explanations. They don't have any use for it, they know each other too well for that.

"Where?" she asks him quietly, a light blush rising on her cheeks.

"Lake," his answer is gruff, but the light fingers playing along her back, cause her to let out a moan of sweet agony.

Nodding her head, she raises them both, the covers caught between their bodies. They will need it later.

Floating in the air, they move out of the window, proceeding towards their destination.

----

Minutes later,

Landing near the lake, they separate from each other, their bodies crying out at even the momentary separation.

Picking up the sheet, he spreads it over the soft grass. The night has cooled the stuffy air, but they don't pay attention to it. They are on fire and want to burn each other and get burnt themselves.

Sitting down, he, the feral draws her, his goddess, Ororo to his lap. Pulling her down, he rubs his face along her coffee colored honey suckle skin, leaving a wet trail as he licks along her length, from her supple thigh to her round hips, along her flat abdomen, over the full rounded breast topped by a pebbled nipple, to the hollow of her neck, ending finally on her soft full lips, which open up instinctively to allow his tongue to continue its intimate, almost reverent exploration.

"Logan," she moans into his mouth. She knows tonight is going to be long and its going to be special. Tonight he's let out the man and the beast and she, as a mirror to him, lets out the woman and the goddess.

"Grrrrr….'Rohhh," he is barely hanging on to the human side. He doesn't want to let it go. Not just yet. The Wolverine can have his mate later. Right now, the man needs the woman he loves.

Sitting on his thighs, she straddled him, feeling his hard length rubbing against her slickness. It would be so easy to just lift and let him in. It would be _too_ easy.

Tonight she lets him lead, he needs that. He needs the compliance, he needs the submission.

Her submission….

…as he himself submits to her.

---

Pulling her closer he tightens his hold, wanting to join them in body as they are already joined in their single soul.

He loves it here, this way…and so does she. Here in the wild, they are one with nature, just as they one with each other. They just have each other, all others forgotten. They are focused on their feeling the other, feeling the other as they sense themselves.

She can feel his claws straining against his knuckles, just as he can smell the slight change in the atmosphere. The animal and the goddess strain to get out, they want to get out.

"Not yet" they groan in unison.

Logan's lips tease her, first playing with hers…softly kneading them with his own, his tongue massaging her mouth, just as his hands massage her back. Groaning with pleasure, she pushes herself against him, mashing against his hard length.

They are both gentle and rough. Their kisses alternating between light touches barely touching each other and deep passionate joining. His hands massaging her back, just as she ran her nails along his perpetually tense corded muscles. In the day they are friends, teammates and colleagues, but with nightfall their truth comes out….they come out.

"'Ro…" he manages tightly. His control is tenuous and he makes his move before he loses all of it.

"Yesss," she answers his unspoken question, urging him to go on with his ministrations. She knows she cannot stop him, just as she cannot stop herself. She knows that soon the night sky will be filled with roars and lightening crashes. It is inevitable.

----

Seconds later,

Drawing back, Logan started his downward journey, his first stop being the curve where her neck meets her shoulder. Biting down gently, he scraped the upper skin, before salving it with hot licks over the scratched surface. He knows every part of her body, just as she does his. She wears his scent just as he wears her. Continuing his licking he moved across her neck to the other side before moving down towards her breasts, causing her to arch away from him, allowing him easy access to her.

Reaching her twin peaks, he freed one hand and brings it to the front, flicking on chocolate colored nipple, causing it to rise up further, its surrounding skin covering with goose pimples. Bending down further, he parted his lips and enclosed them around the stiff nub.

"Uhnn….Goddess," Ororo's moan was instant as her one hand tunneled through her hair, while the other pulled him closer to him, pushing more of herself into him.

"So sweet," Logan mumbled, gently suckling on her, with intermittent nips and licks teasing her further.

"Please Logan," Ororo pleaded, not knowing what she wanted him to do, to continue his present ministrations or take her and free her from her agony. "_Please._"

Grinning against her breast, he moved to its partner, showering the same time and attention on it, driving her further towards the edge.

"NOW." Ororo growled at him. She couldn't stand it any longer. "Now." She whimpered her plea. They played this game, each giving up their control, and tonight she was giving up to him….giving into him.

His smile this time was feral, his pupils dilated to turn his normally hazel colored eyes to black. He circled his hands again to her back and then downwards to her hips, he grasped at her buttocks, gently kneading them before proceeding further to touch her center. The double assault from front and back causing her to involuntary jerk her hips into him.

"'Grrrrro…" his words mixed with his growls.

"Mmmmm…" She answered with a moan of her own.

Language was lost to them, with only grunts and moans filling the air as they gave into one another.

-----

"Oh my god" Jean Grey-Summers sat up in her bed, her body burning with arousal. Running her hand through her red tresses, she murmured,

"Ororo and Logan…what a dream?"

-

-

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**_Note:_** In keeping with the rating limitations I had to slice off about a thousand words and modify/change/rewrite others. The longer, NC-17 rated version can be found on the RoLo Realm and on my site (link on profile page).

Please Review!


	3. Early Mornings

**3. EARLY MORNINGS**

**Summary:** Back to the Kitchen...and what has Jubilee all riled up?

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"_Ororo and Logan…what a dream?"_

Next day, Xavier Mansion,

Saturday mornings at the Xavier mansion were usually quiet, with both the faculty and students sleeping in late after late Friday nights at the mansion or out in the city.

Knowing as much, Jean wasn't surprised to find the kitchen empty….well almost empty. The only person in the kitchen was sitting in a corner, a newspaper held over his face.

"Red," was Logan's way of wishing her Good morning. Knowing Logan, the endearment could as easily be used at any other time and/or situation.

"Good morning Logan," Jean smiled at him, knowing that he could sense it even from behind the paper. "You're up early."

Pushing the paper down, Logan gave her one of his patent raised eyebrow looks. "Jeannie its nine o'clock. The sun came out three hours ago."

"Yes, I know," Jean replied good-naturedly. "But its Saturday, everyone sleeps in, except…"

"Except?" Logan questioned.

"Except Ororo" Jean blushed at the memory of the previous night's intense dream. "….and now apparently you."

"Jeannie…" Logan's voice dropped in volume, his nose flaring as he breathed in deep. "Yer spiking."

"Spiking?" Jean wondered aloud, before realizing that Logan had smelled her sudden arousal. "_Logan!_" she scolded him, her pink blush turning crimson. "That's not a way to talk to a lady."

"I call it as I smell it." Logan shrugged his shoulders. Raising the paper back, his gave another quip; one which he knew would push her buttons even further. "What happened, Scooter getting you hot and bothered?"

"Hot and Bothered?" Jean giggled at his choice of words. "Logan you have been spending too much time with Jubilee."

"Well like you said, I don't know how to talk to a lady. So I tried it another way." Jean could sense Logan grinning smugly on the other side of the paper. 'Two can play this game buster,' she thought.

"Well if you must know…" she spoke nonchalantly, all the while paying attention to Logan's reaction. "If you must know…the reason for my being all 'hot and bothered' as you term it, is Ororo."

Logan's grin dropped instantly. "What about Ororo?" he growled at her. "Jean? What are ya talking about?"

"Oh nothing," Jean internally smiled at the gruff Canadian's reaction. Maybe her suspicion was correct. 'This requires further investigation'.

"What about Ororo?" Jean jumped, noticing that Logan was standing in front of her. "What are you talking about?" he sounded serious, maybe even pissed off.

"Nothing…" she backtracked on her attitude. Even though she knew Logan wouldn't hurt her, she didn't want to anger him. Because an angry Wolverine was a very dangerous Wolverine, his already tenuous control stretching even further. It would only lead to some poor soul getting his ass kicked.

"If it's nothing then why did ya say it?" Logan wasn't going to leave her without an explanation.

"Really Logan, its nothing," Jean tried to sooth the Wolverine. She hadn't expected for a such a reaction from Logan, especially towards her. "Its…Its just…"

"What is it?" Logan's advances had pushed Jean back to the counter.

"I had a dream," Jean blurted out.

"A dream…" confusion came over the previously angry expression. "What's that gotta do with Ororo?"

"She was in my dream…and so were you," Logan still didn't understand where Jean was going with her _'dream'_ explanation.

"Me!" Now Logan's eyes widened in surprise, his tone turning curious. "What was I doing in yer dream."

"In that dream…." Jean gulped. "In that dream…you were…ummm…you know…"

"What?" Logan was practically yelling now. He had wanted to get the information and get away as soon as possible, before Marie and her friends _'commandeered'_ his services and time for their weekly trip to the mall or some other stupid teenage shit.

"In that dream you…and Ororo…you…I mean the both of you…."

"WHAT? What were we doing?"

"You were having SEX." Jean yelled back at him, her cheeks flush with anger.

"_What!_" Logan's color paled, his voice squeaking.

"You and Ororo were having sex." Jean repeated as she pushed him back.

----

_**-CRASH-**_

Both Jean and Logan snapped their heads towards the source of the sound.

In the doorway of the kitchen, stood Ororo, her eyes wide in shock at the words she had just heard. Pieces of her broken coffee mug were lying at her feet, residual coffee splattered all over her sandaled feet.

"Morning 'Ro," Logan grinned at the stunned weather goddess, his heated gaze practically undressing her right there in the kitchen. "Jean was telling me about her dream. Go on Jeannie….tell us," he spoke suggestively. His eyes never leaving the gentle rise and fall of Ororo's breasts, he slid his tongue out and expectantly licked his lips. "….an' don't leave out anything."

"_LOGAN!_" Jean was shocked at the indecent projections being sent out by feral mutant. His intense thoughts made her dream feel like a teenage make out session.

"What?" Logan caught himself from toppling over as Jean telekinetically shoved him away from her.

Rousing herself from her stupor, Ororo bent down to pick up the broken porcelain pieces, her actions pushing her breasts up and revealing the top of her cleavage to Wolverine's appreciative eyes. "Grr…" his sexual growl caused Ororo to look up, his penetrating gaze causing her to shrivel in embarrassment.

"So Jean…" he turned to the redhead as Ororo got up. "….tell us. How? When? Where?" he asked cryptically; his pants suddenly tight against his straining erection.

"What do you mean?" Jean was momentarily confused before understanding the true meaning of his questions.

"Come on Jeannie…ya can tell us," Logan goaded her. "Hey 'Ro, don't ya wanna hear this?"

"Thank you Logan, but no," the African beauty shook her head. "Although I appreciate the thoughts behind your offer, I'll leave you and Jean alone to explore her dreams and your fantasies."

"But 'Ro, ya are in this too." Logan made a puppy face…well, in his case…tried to make one. "This is about…"

He stopped mid-sentence, as a scent reached his nostrils….a scent of artificial flavors.

"Oh shit," he cursed his eyes growing wide. _'The firecracker'_

Stepping away from Jean, he jumped towards the door farther from the approaching teenager.

"Logan what happened?" Jean was taken aback at this sudden change in behavior, while Ororo gave a knowing smile. She knew what or rather who was going to happen – Jubilation 'Jubilee' Lee. The one mutant who caused even the mighty Wolverine to flee in fear…..in fear of losing his sanity.

"Later Jeannie," Logan mumbled turning around the corner. A moment later, his head popped back through the door.

"Hey 'Ro," Ororo looked at him. "Ya get all the details and later we can _discuss_ it together. Who knows…maybe one day ya can let me ride yer…winds," he gave a parting wink before disappearing completely.

A few seconds later, a yellow clad Jubilee entered the kitchen.

----

"Hey any of you guys seen Wolvie?" she asked trying to stifle a huge yawn.

Both Ororo and Jean smiled at Jubilee's endearment for Logan. Jubilee was the only mansion resident who was able to go toe to toe with Logan in frustrating people by coming up with new nicknames.

In some ways, she even surpassed him. She had four names for Logan alone – Wolvie, Wolfy, Wolvester and Wolvmeister. Apart from these four common ones, she made new ones depending on some event that caught her attention.

"He just…" Jean raised a finger to point towards the other door.

**Wrrroommm…**

The start and revving of a motorcycle engine interrupted her, as Logan hastily pulled out of the garage and sped towards the mansion gates.

"…left," completed Jean.

"_ROGUE!_" Jubilee's screech caused both Jean and Ororo to clamp their ears shut.

"ROGUEY…." Jubilee ran out of the kitchen, yelling all the way to hers, Rogue's and Kitty's room. "….Wolvie ran off _again_."

"Now he's going to get it," Jean chuckled, imagining Logan being harassed by the three teenage sirens, with Rogue and Kitty softening him and Jubilee going in for a kill.

She knew that he cared for the three girls. But some things even freaked him out… chief among them their weekend shopping sprees and the Sunday afternoon 'sappy romantic movies'. Jubilee was the worst of all. She was the ultimate mall-rat, who even as she was doing this weekend's shopping, was already talking about what she had planned for the next weekend.

Shoving all thoughts of Logan pulling at his hair in anger and exasperation, Jean turned to her current prey; standing not five feet away from her. Logan had managed to pull his 'Crude-Horn dog' routine and embarrassed her earlier, but now she was confident that she would be able to handle the civil and serene Ororo.

----

Resisting the temptation of peeking at her best friend's thoughts, she decided to try talking to her.

She started by observing Ororo closely, trying to discern any change in the Nubian beauty's behavior and/or body language. She seemed to be in a lighter mood, but that was nothing new. Ororo had been in her greenhouse since early morning, tending to her plants. That always seemed to calm her.

Saturday was one of the few days when she could do that without having to worry about class schedule or danger room routines or any other of the many x-men related problems. Ever since taking over as co-leader, things had become more hectic for her. Her personal free time had decreased and hence the importance of the time she spent in her sanctuary had grown.

Even her clothes were nothing out of the ordinary. It was white, just like most of her normal everyday wear. The only thing that wasn't white, was the sky blue scarf, which was tied in her hair to keep her long white tresses bound and under control.

"Jean?" Ororo's concerned voice interrupted her reverie. "What is the matter? What are you looking at?"

"You." Jean answered abruptly. Her smile and focused gaze told Ororo that she was fishing for some gossip material. Right now she wasn't Jean Grey-Summers, X-Woman. Right now she was Jean Grey-Summers, Private Eye wannabe.

"Me!" Ororo feigned innocent surprise.

"Yes, YOU."

Walking towards Ororo, she circled her. "There is something different about you today." She mused aloud, tapping her finger on her chin. "Hmm. Yes! I got it."

"What?" Ororo narrowed her eyes. Jean was trying it again. She used this routine whenever she wanted to intimate/confuse the other person….and it usually worked, but only with her students. The rest of the x-men knew her well and also knew that they needed to strengthen their mental shields when she got in this particular look

"What did you get? And what do you mean by saying that I _look different_?"

"You have, hmm…Got it," Jean snapped her fingers. "You have a freshly laid look."

"_JEAN!_" Ororo cried out. "What's gotten into you? First you were after Logan and now me. If you go on continuing like this, you will soon be accusing the Professor of 'wheeling around in the nude,'" she chuckled at her last words.

"Ororo, I am not joking." Jean was slightly annoyed now. Ororo just turned the tables on her, by shoving a visual of Professor Xavier moving through the mansion, naked as the day that he was born on. 'Ewwww….Gross.'

Taking pity on her best friend, Ororo guided her towards the high stool next to counter. "What happened Jean?" she was truly concerned now. "Did something happen with Scott?" Jean's wild look negated that possibility.

Running a hand over her back, Ororo adopted her mother hen voice. "Jean, take deep breaths and then tell me what happened."

Nodding her head, Jean took a couple of deep breaths before telling Ororo all about her erotic dream, leaving out some of the raunchy details.

By the time she ended, Ororo was staring at her, a stupefied look on her face. Was she shocked at the dream, or at being caught or was it something totally different, Jean couldn't make out.

----

"Ororo." Jean laid a hand on hers'. "I hope you don't mind my asking, is something going on between the both of you?"

"Between the both of whom?" Ororo was still coming to terms with what Jean had told her.

"Between you and…" Jean hesitated for a moment. "….Logan"

"Of course," Ororo's frank answer threw Jean for a twist. "We are very good friends. In fact, I can confidently say that he is my best friend."

"Best friend!" Jean exclaimed. "But I thought _I _was your best friend" her tone was rueful.

"You ARE." Ororo confirmed forcefully. "You are….my best 'girl' friend."

"Oh." Jean's eyes lit up. "So are you saying that Logan is your boyfriend?"

"No Jean." Ororo smacked her palm against her forehead. "You have to take everything out of context. Don't you."

"No no…" Jean shook her head. The conversation with Ororo was veering off track and she needed to stop it before anybody else heard. And by anybody else she meant the living breathing loud speaker that was Jubilee Lee, who right now was prowling the mansion halls, conjuring a plan to get back at Logan for his bailing out on them.

"It's just that, you and Logan seem to be very close. I guess….I guess I haven't got used to….." she stopped trying to get the right words.

"Used to Logan paying attention to any woman who isn't you," Ororo completed with more than a hint of sarcasm in her remark….and the slightest hint of something else.

"WHAT!" Jean's eyes widened with shock. Ororo had just said something that Jean had once thought about, but had buried it deep into the deepest recesses of her heart the day she said 'I do' to Scott. "No Ororo, you've got it all wrong." Jean was really losing it now.

"Then _please_….tell me how it is," Ororo narrowed her eyes, her even voice suddenly cold and hard.

"I just wanted to know if you guys are seeing each other _personally_." Jean was ready to cry at having screwed up. She had 'majorly' put…no shoved her foot in her mouth. "Because I think that would be great."

At Ororo's silence, Jean continued, picking her words with great care.

"It's great that you two are so close to each other. I know its none of my or anyone else's business what you two do in your free time. And I will more than happy to assist you in any way I can." At her words Ororo seemed to loosen at bit.

Heaving a sigh of relief, Jean decided to push a little further, taking care of keeping things light. "You know you are to blame for putting those thoughts into my mind."

"ME!"

"Yes, if you guys hadn't done that betting money exchange thing yesterday night, I wouldn't have got all these ideas in my head and neither that dream. I have never seen Logan do that for anyone else, nor have I ever seen you endorse betting let alone cage fighting.

-----

Ororo's smirk, told Jean that she had finally managed to say something correct.

"Jean, Logan does the same for Rogue. She knows about it and she bets once in a while, when she needs the money and doesn't want to take it directly from Logan." Ororo revelation did not startle Jean. It was as if she had expected it.

"That is different." Jean flipped her hand. "Rogue and Logan, they…they have a bond, one that neither of them have with anyone else. But you are different. How were you sucked into this? It can't be because you are short on money for the latest teenage fashion top or dress."

"No its not." Ororo shook her head. "Its something else. Something that I can't tell you about."

"Why?"

"Because…"

"Because?"

"Because I promised Logan I wouldn't. If you want to know, you'll have to ask him. You can do it the next time he flirts with you." Ororo winked at Jean and pushed herself off the stool. "Now if you excuse me, I have some work to do before the evening."

"Evening? Why? Are you going somewhere?" Jean's ears perked up again.

"Yes and given your current state of mind, I am sure you will find it very interesting," Ororo said, opening the fridge to get her favorite juice.

"My current state...Why?"

"I am going out with Logan. And before you say anything…we are _not_ going out on a date."

"If it's not a date then where are you going?"

Ororo silently poured the juice into a glass and replaced the bottle in the fridge, all the while keeping an eye on the expectant looks Jean was giving her. "_Ororo!_" she pleaded. "Come on; tell me. Where are you going?"

Sitting on the stool, Jean couldn't see the mischievous smile forming on Ororo's lips.

"I'll tell you, but you have to promise me two things." Ororo glanced at her.

"I promise. Anything you want. I'll do it," Jean answered immediately.

"The next time you have such a _'dream'_, you will keep it between us, between you and me, and…." Ororo turned and looked Jean straight in the eye. "You and Scott will come to where we are going."

"Done." Jean answered, raising her left hand; she placed her right hand over her heart. "I promise. Now tell me where are you going?"

Walking out of the kitchen, Ororo spoke evenly. "I am going with Logan to…." she let her words hang.

"….watch him fight."

-----

"_Ororo!_" Jean ran after her friend, who had floated away to her loft apartment. "_NO._"

By the time she caught up with her, Ororo had reached the stairs leading to her room.

"I can't do that," Jean exclaimed, her breathing labored from running.

"Of course you can." Ororo's smile was taunting Jean. "You have Scott wrapped around your little finger. He'll do anything for you."

"Anything except watching Logan beat a bunch of guys and get applauded and paid money for that. Please Ororo, anything but that."

"Sorry Jean." Ororo refused. "You promised….and now you have to fulfill it. Besides you have a whole day to get Scott to agree."

With that, she turned around and started up the stairs, leaving a lost Jean Grey standing in the stairwell.

Reaching the top, she winked and sent out a parting thought to Jean.

_You could always tell him that you were dreaming about Logan. I am sure he would appreciate it._


	4. Sat“Ugh”Day

**Thanks to all those who have taken the time to review this fic. I try to respond to the signed ones directly. Hope you like this and the other upcoming chapters. Thanks for sparing time and appreciating my work.**

**BW**

* * *

**4. Sat-"Ugh"-Day**

**Summary:** Its Saturday...and everyone seems to be angry with each other...everyone except...well you know!

_

* * *

You could always tell him that you were dreaming about Logan. I am sure he would appreciate it_

"NO" Scott Summers thundered, his face red as the color of his eyes. "There is no way I am going to a place where I can see that pompous idiot beat up people and get paid for it and also get applauded by an equally crude, drunk and rowdy audience."

"Scott…." Jean tried.

"No Jean. How could you _do_ this to me? To us? What got into you, that you agreed to have us accompany Ororo to some dark, shady, broken up dump and watch men act like animals? By the way, where is Ororo? I need to have a talk to her. She is also not going to go there, and neither are we."

"Scott please…"

"Have both of you gone crazy? It may be Logan's idea of a nice weekend outing. Coloring the town red…." He spat out. "….literally. Red with the blood of those stupid enough or drunk enough to go against the 'Great' _Wolverine_."

"So that's it." Jean lost her patience. "That is the main reason. You are paranoid of what might happen. You don't want to go there. Your leader-brain can't step back for a simple evening and try and have some fun. Try something new." She was getting red in the face.

"Simple? _Fun!_" Scott was shocked. "Are you even listening to yourself? Where is Logan? Where is that metal-headed maniac? I am going to have to knock some sense into him…blast more like it."

"Logan is not in the mansion." Jean pushed him back. She was fuming now. "And you are not going to say or do anything. Not to Logan and definitely not to Ororo. I was going to try to convince you in a civilized manner. But you are being such a pighead that I-I… Guess what Scott Summers. _We_ are going to get ready, _we_ are going to go out tonight and we are going to enjoy ourselves. You will shut up and get ready on time…_understood_."

"Jean," It was now Scott' turn to plead.

"We will spend a nice day in the mansion, have our lunch and dinner and then, we are going to get ready and go out with Ororo and Logan. Now if something in that plan does not sit with you. Then I suggest that you find some one to spend your weekend evenings and nights with. Either we are going out with them tonight or you will have to stay back alone, for this Saturday and a lot of future ones."

"Jean….."

"You have half an hour to make you decision mister," Jean pointed to the clock on the far wall of their room. "I am going for my bath and while I am in there, you can think, fume, curse, blast, do whatever you want, because the moment I step out of the bathroom, I want an answer. Yes or No."

With that, she got up and walked, rather stomped to the bathroom. Stepping inside, she slammed the door behind her.

Your time starts now was her parting telepathic comment.

----

Meanwhile in a room in the students' wing,

"I am going to kill him," Jubilee was pacing the room, her hands moving animatedly in front of her, gesturing to strangle an imaginary neck. "I am going to grab hold of his thick _redneck_ neck and then I am going to kill him."

At an intrusive snicker, "What are you snickering at," she stormed over to Rogue, who was giggling at her latest 'neck-neck' comment. "Did I just say something _funny_? If yes, then please tell me, because I was being completely serious."

"No, ah….no," Rogue clamped a gloved hand over her mouth in an unsuccessful attempt to stop her tittering.

"You don't get to laugh," Jubilee closed in on her, grabbing a down pillow for a weapon. "You keep your southern trap shut. Its all your fault."

"Mah fault," Rogue's mouth fell open, her eyes grew wider and darting between the approaching Asian firecracker and their third roommate, Kitty, who right now was trying to stop herself from bursting out into laughs. She didn't want to have hurricane Jubilee turn on her. "What did ah do?"

"What did Ah do?" Jubilee's mimicking of her caused Rogue to frown and Kitty to press her lips even tighter. "I'll tell you what 'yah' did? You…." She started. A second later, she seemed to lose what she was going to blame Rogue for. 'Yeah what did she do?' she asked herself.

"Yes Jubilee," Kitty squeaked from side of the room. "What did Rogue do? You were the one who went to the…."

"You keep outta this Kitty-Kat," Jubilee fired off at her. "Unless you want to become Crispy-Kat."

"Why should she keehp quaiht," Rogue shot back. Kitty's interruption had given her the time she needed to get her thoughts together. Why was she being blamed? It was Jubilee who went to the kitchen this morning. Logan must have caught her scent and knowing that it was Saturday, made a run for it. He needed to get away from the mansion to avoid being _deputized_ by shopping sheriff, Jubilee _'Sales-n-Deals'_ Lee. "Yah were the one who scared Logan awayh."

"Me?" Jubilee sounded surprised, angry even. But her voice was cracking. She knew where Rogue was leading to.

"Yes, you," Kitty backed her southern teammate. "You were the one who went outside first. You should know better than to run around this early in the morning on a Shop-tur-day. We had decided to send Rogue out first. Logan doesn't run from her, not like he does when he catches the first whiff of your _bubblicious_ chewing gum.

"Hmph…." Jubilee pouted and fell back on her bed. Clutching the pillow to her chest, she spoke in a softer voice. "So what do we do now? Whom do we trick, I mean request to take us to the mall?"

"Let Rogue and me handle it," Kitty smirked at her. Jubilee was perpetually active, except for when she was sleeping, or when she had lost out on a shopping spree opportunity. "We have placed a _back up_, specifically for such times."

"Who? Remy?" Jubilee pointed at Rogue, who blushed at the name of the red-eyed Cajun, card thrower. "You know we can't take him, even if he has his own car. Its not allowed. We need a teacher to take us."

"We are going tah have a teacher tahke us," Rogue grinned and wiggled her eyebrows.

"Who?"

"Come here," Kitty called her to the window. "There." she pointed outside. "There's our emergency back-up."

----

"Scott," Jean spoke from the bathroom door. "Have you made a decision?"

"Jean…" her husband got up from their bed and came towards her. "Do we have to go there? We can go someplace that's less….less Loganesque. How about both of us go to that restaurant you love so much? The open aired one. The one with the view of the ocean."

"No Scott, we can not, not tonight." Jean was feeling bad about having to force Scott, but she had promised Ororo. Promise. She felt like kicking herself. "Tonight we are going to get ready and accompany Ororo to a nice quiet cage fight."

"Yeah, reeeeal nice and quiet," Scott scowled at her attempt of humor. "Why are you forcing me to do this? What did I do wrong?"

"Oh Scott," Jean's hard 'Battle Scott' exterior flexed a little. "Its just that I sort of made a promise to Ororo, and she asked me to get both of us to go with her to Logan's fight tonight."

"Promise. Why did you do that? No wait. Spare me that explanation. Just tell me since when has Ororo, the most peace loving person we know, started going to Logan's cage fights."

"I don't know," Jean shrugged her shoulders. "Its just something she sprung up today. I think there is something going on between her and Logan."

"_WHAT_?" Scott sounded both surprised and angry at her words. "Ororo….and…."

"Logan," Jean supplied.

"….and Logan," Scott slowly nodded his head. "Something between them."

"Yes"

Scott was silent for a few seconds before breaking out into loud peals of laughter.

"Scott, I am serious," Jean spoke tightly, her words not affecting her husband at all. He was laughing loudly, his hands at his sides. "_Scott_."

Scott peered through his squinted, visor-covered eyes, hoping for Jean to give in and reveal the joke behind her comment. However, the look on her face was all business.

"You are joking, right?" he asked sobering up.

"Does it _look_ like I am joking?" Jean was losing her patience now. First the 'fight promise' problem and now this. This was not going to be a good Saturday.

"Whatever gave you that idea?" Scott was serious now. "Ororo….with Logan of all people. Couldn't you choose two people who were any farther apart?"

"I have noticed a couple of things about them," Jean said, not revealing her dream of both of her teammates. Things were already difficult. Telling Scott that she had dreamt about Logan, even if he had been with Ororo, wasn't going to help improve things. "And to answer your second question, they are not so different from each other."

"What do you mean?" the frown was back and Jean could sense his eyes boring into her.

"You'll see," she said and stood up. She didn't want to discuss it right now. Scott was already stretched tight and anything more stress involving Logan would cause him to snap.

"You'll see."

----

"You can come out," Ororo spoke over her shoulder. She had sensed the three intruders enter the greenhouse and standing a few feet away from her, just out of her sight. She also knew the reason for their impromptu visit.

"Good morning Ororo," Rogue was the one to step forward. "Are yah busy raight now?"

"Not particularly. I am just spending some time with my plants. Caring for them. Watering and removing out any weeds," Ororo answered serenely. After an hour in the greenhouse, she was feeling relaxed. "Is there something I can do for you?"

"In fact there is something," Kitty stepped forward. "We need a few hours of your time."

"Few hours?" Ororo raised an eyebrow. She knew that they would come to her. She had been expecting it since she had left the kitchen and returned to her room.

"Yes." Kitty continued, suddenly hesitating. "We need…."

Jubilee nudged her aside with her hips and elbow.

"We need to go to the mall," she said bluntly. "And our ride _ran_ away," she frowned at her friends. Rogue mouthed 'yoah fault' while Kitty stuck out her tongue at her. "I drove it away," she said sullenly.

"Let me guess," Ororo smirked at her. "This morning, in the kitchen. Logan. He was supposed to take you to the mall. Did you ask him about his schedule earlier?"

"No." Jubilee had a comical frown on her face. "He knows about today. He knows we always go to the mall on Saturday. He knows we need it."

"Not WE," Rogue corrected her. Kitty vigorously nodded her head. "You need that. Youah a mall junkie."

"That's mallrat, you redneck swamprat," Jubilee shot back.

"Who are yah cahling redneck, ya yella-bella?" Rogue stepped towards her, making an action of rolling up imaginary shirt sleeves.

"Girls," Ororo spoke out in her 'teacher' voice. "I would appreciate it if you refrain from disturbing the peace of my sanctuary."

"Sorry," both Jubilee and Rogue apologized instantly.

"Ororo, will you take us to the mall," Kitty spoke up. "Just for a short while, a couple of hours at the most."

"A couple of hours," Jubilee cried out. "It takes me that long to just cover one section of the mall.

"Jubilee!" Kitty's tight voice silenced her.

Ororo walked up to them. "I think I can spare about four hours after lunch. That should give you a little more than three hours to get your shopping done. Is that enough?"

"Yes." Kitty answered happily.

"Yes," was Rogue's smiling answer.

"I guess so," Jubilee shrugged her shoulders. "But at least three whole hours. Right?"

"Yes Jubilation," Ororo used her complete name. "Three whole hours."

----

Lunchtime,

"So Jean," Ororo walked up to her best friend and sat down across her and Scott. "How has your day been so far?"

"Not a particularly happy one," Jean sounded sullen. "And its all because of you."

"_Me!_" Ororo sounded surprised, or at least tried to. "What did I do? I have been in my greenhouse the since morning."

"You know what I am talking about," Jean frowned at her. "We are going out with you in the evening."

"Scott agreed huh," Ororo smirked at Scott, who had a permanent scowl plastered on his face.

"Agreed to what?" Logan's deep voice sounded from the door.

"Logan?" Ororo whirled towards him.

"The one and only," he gave her a mischievous wink, before turning to the husband-wife couple. "Jeannie. Lookin' good," he commented. "Scooter. Dick-headed as ever."

"Screw you Logan," Scott snapped back.

Logan slowly extended a middle claw at him. "Just try it one-eye. Just try."

"Would you two stop your testosterone face-off," Jean snapped at them. "You are both grown men, not hormonal teenagers. Act your age."

"Listen ta your wife Scooter," Logan couldn't resist another jab at Scott, who just scowled in return.

"_Logan_." Ororo's sweet voice instantly silenced him.

"Sorry 'Ro," he apologized to her, both Jean and Scott noticing the sudden change in his tone. That Ororo smiled back at him and moved to allow him space to sit next to her, didn't go unnoticed either.

"Why don't you go sit there?" Scott pointed to a chair few feet away.

"Why don't you sit on my claws," Logan answer was just as tight. He had sensed the tension rolling off Scott and wasn't surprised at his mood. Not that he cared much about it. Scooter always had something stuck up his ass; usually it was his own head.

Scott. Shut. Up Jean scolded in her husband's head, his sudden jerking letting both Logan and Ororo know about it.

---

Later, towards the end of lunch,

"You ready 'Ro," Ororo looked up at Logan. They weren't supposed to go out till later. That is why she had consented to take the three students to the mall.

"Ready? For what?" she asked him.

"To go to the mall," he smirked at her. "I am taking the three 'giggle-dumps' to the mall, and they said that ya wanted to go too."

"Mall. Me? No…" Ororo stalled. "I was just going because they wanted someone to take them. I don't have anything to buy for myself. And now that you are here, you can take them."

"Oh, that I am. I am going ta take them, but I am not goin' alone," Logan's grin grew wider, his eyes glinting. "Ya are comin' along too. I am not going ta' spend four hours alone with them. I don't have a death wish. So get yerself inta gear and get ready."

Jean giggled at the banter between her two teammates. Scott just scowled, digging his fork deeper into his food tray. Although Logan was acting just the way he usually did, he couldn't get Jean's words out of his head.

----

Sometime later,

"Logan." Scott called. Logan was standing near the front door with Jean and Ororo. They were waiting for the three girls.

"What is it One-Eye?" Logan just gave him a cursory glance, not paying him any attention.

"I have to discuss something with you," he said tightly. "Something private."

"What, you again going to tell me to stay away from yer girl," Logan threw at him. Grabbing Jean's ringed hand, he lifted it up and pointed the ring towards Scott. He enjoyed pushing Scooter's buttons, just because they were so many and so easy to push. "I know ya don't trust me, but don't ya trust this? or her?"

"I trust both of them, and this is not about her or me. Its about you."

"So talk."

"Not here," Scott replied. With that, he started moving towards another door.

"What ever ya want ta say, say it here." Logan was getting frustrated with Scooter's anal mood. "I don't have time fer yer song and dance."

"Then make the time." Scott said in full leader mode. "I will be waiting in the rec-room."

"Then you will keep on waitin'. _Alone_." Logan smirked and pointed to the girls coming down the stairs.

"As fer Me. I have a mall _date_ with four very beautiful women."


	5. At the Mall

**5. At the Mall**

**Summary:** Logan and company have their 'date'...but they are not alone!

* * *

"_I have a mall 'date' with four very beautiful women." _

"Logan." Scott followed the small group to the garage. "You will talk to me, and you will talk to me _NOW_."

The words had barely left his mouth when he found Logan's angry face inches from his.

"Now look here one-eye," he ground out. "Its already three and I have to get back by seven. I don't have time to waste with you or any of yer bullshit. So shut yer trap and leave me alone, unless you want a new one." He ended by just raising his fist, threatening to let the claws out and do the talking for him.

"Very well," Scott stepped back, waiting for Logan to turn and walk away. Once he was near one of the 'unmarked' X-SUVs', the one which they were taking, he spoke again, loud enough for everyone present to hear, including Logan, his four _dates_ and Jean. "So, I guess we'll see you in the evening. What time do you want to leave? We'll be ready by then."

"Leave? Ready?" Logan frowned, his hand stilling on the driver side door. "What are ya blabbering about?" He turned to a smirking Scott.

"Me!" Scott pointed towards himself, trying to look as innocent as new born lamb. "I haven't said anything. I am just repeating what Jean told me and what Ororo told her."

"Ororo?" Logan slowly turned to face the Nubian beauty standing on the other side of the vehicle. "'Ro, what is he talking about? Where are we going?"

"Logan," Ororo smiled at him before narrowing her eyes at the self-satisfied Scott standing behind him. "Why don't we go? I'll explain everything to you later."

"Explain? 'Ro, what are ya talking about?" Logan fixed his stare on her. "What…."

"Are you just going to stand here and waste our time or are your going to get your sexy-but-hairy butt into gear and get us to the mall," Jubilee jumped into the fray, cutting Logan right off.

"Yah Logan," Rogue came to his side. "We are getting late. Why dontcha' talk to 'Ro in the car or when we get to tha mall."

"Yes Mr. Logan," Kitty squeaked.

"I guess Logan, you really are getting late for your mall _date_," Scott shot his own words back at him.

"Fuck you Scooter," Logan growled as he yanked open the door and got into the SUV, slamming it shut behind him. Something was going on. Something that involved him and that he didn't know about, and that pissed him off. "We are not done with this," he spoke to Ororo as she got in from her own side. "We are goin' ta talk about this. As soon as we get to the friggin' mall."

Ororo gave him a mysterious smile and laid a gentle hand on his thigh, stilling him instantly. "Don't worry Logan. I promise you that you will like it," she assured him, gently squeezing her hand against the weather worn denim.

"Hmph," was all the response she got as Logan started the vehicle. Moments later, he pulled out of the mansion gates, three teenaged 'back-seat drivers' urging him to go faster and get them to their destination as soon as possible.

"You know what." Scott said to himself, his eyes following the SUV. "Maybe Jean was right after all. Maybe there is something going on between those two. Well good for me. It will keep him from flirting with Jean….

….although I'll need to have a _talk_ with Ororo."

----

"Come on dude, we are wasting valuable shopping time," Jubilee was unsuccessfully trying to pull the _metal boned_ arm and the rest of Logan attached to it, across the huge parking lot. Being a Saturday, it was jam-packed with cars and truck. It took Logan fifteen minutes to find a proper parking spot and the one he did get was a whole five minutes walk from the mall entrance.

"Look kid, ya aren't going ta hurry me like that," Logan grumbled and pulled his arm back and Jubilee along with it. "Why don't you guys go ahead."

"Really," Jubilee's eyes widened. "Sure, if you don't mind. We can break off and catch up with you old timers later"

"I don't mind," Logan spelled out, frowning at the _old timers_ comment. He wasn't an old timer, even if he was older than the dirt on his boots, and more so, Ororo was definitely anything but _old_.

"You know it would be better that way. As it is you are one _sulky_ shopper. You…" Jubilee was rambling away, oblivious to what Logan had just said.

"Jubes," **_-whack-_** Rogue upsided her behind her head. "Logan said, he doesn't mind."

"Wha…ugh. _Really_?" Jubilee scowled at Rogue who pointed towards Kitty, indicating that she had been the one to strike the blow. "Kitty!"

"Huh….yes," Kitty broke her eyes from the cars she had been counting, trying to get a rough count of cars in the lot and looked towards Jubilee, just in time to see a ringed hand coming towards her. "_HEY_!" she cried out. "What was that for?" she scowled, rubbing her aching shoulder.

"Hey, you two. Break it up." Logan stepped in, but not before sending a mock frown accompanied by a knowing wink Rogue's way. "Did ya wanna do yer shoppin' or start a danger room session here? Cause if ya wanna, we can go right back? We can get a good two hours of practice, before I haveta leave."

"No way José," Jubilee shot back, a bit of the color from her face draining at the possibility of losing out on her 'passion' and that too when she was so close, and for what, a danger room session of all possible things. "We came here to shop and we are going to shop."

"Jubilee, Kitty, Rogue." Storm broke her silence. She had been enjoying the drama occurring before her, including Logan's relaxed demeanor. True he didn't like the prospect of spending three long hours in the mall, a place full of people and more importantly, mostly teenaged, hormonal, strong perfumed, jabbering kind of people, but had agreed to do it initially because of the little normalcy it brought to Rogue's previously secluded life. And even if he said otherwise, he liked, well sort of liked, Rogue's two roommates. They had taken her under their wing and helped her get settled in the mansion. "Why don't we do like this? Let us break up into two groups. The three of you can get all your shopping done and meet Logan and me at a preset point and a preset time."

"Sounds good to me," Kitty was the first one to answer.

"Me too," Rogue seconded her.

"Three hours of blissful shopping without claw-wonder here breathing cigar breath down my neck," Jubilee raised her hands to the sky and heaved an audible sigh. "Heaven on earth."

"If ya didn't wanta me ta come, why didntcha' say so," Logan scowled at her, crossing his arms in front of his chest. Even Ororo giggled at his actions. He looked like a small boy, who was pouting after having being told that he couldn't have his favorite ice-cream.

"Hey hey," Jubilee patted Logan's arm. "You know I am just joking, don't you? You are my favorite clawed-wonder. Well you are the only one, but that is besides the point."

"Yes Mr. Logan," Kitty jumped in. "Jubilee doesn't take just anyone shopping with her. She cares about you a lot."

"Yeah, sure," Logan pouted again, before brightening up and winking at the now worried Jubilee. "Gotcha."

"What! _WHAT!_," Jubilee's mouth dropped open, as the truth of the joke dawned on her. "You were joking. JOKING. Now I am going to get you. You are going to…."

"Jubilee, come on," Rogue cut in. "We are going t' get late."

"Huh? Oh. Yeah." Jubilee instantly turned around, both her body and her mood. "Later dude, stay on your toes. No one pulls a fast one on the _Great_ Juba-lini and gets away. Later 'Roro." With that, she began to march towards the mall entrance, Kitty and Rogue being dragged along on each arm.

"Hey Marie," Logan called out, hurrying to catch up to them. "Got a minute."

"Sure," Rogue answered, easing herself from Jubilee's light grasp.

"'Ro. Gimmie a minute," Logan turned to his _shopping_ partner.

"Sure Logan," Ororo answered walked past them. "I will be waiting just inside the mall entrance."

"Thanks darlin'," Logan smiled at her. He waited for her to be outside audible range, before turning to Rogue. "Thanks kid."

"For?" Rogue looked up at him.

"You know," Logan looked around trying to catch anyone eves dropping on them. "For giving me the heads up yesterday night and helping me get this all in place. Everything worked out just like we planned….including the Jean-Scooter thing."

"No hassles sugah," Rogue latched onto his leather-clad arm, a bright smile on her face. "Ya got three hours. Make the most of it."

"Thanks kid," Logan said again, placing a hand at Rogue's back and leading her to the door. "Now go, enjoy yerself. I'll be around"

"I know you will," rogue smiled at him and gave him a hug, before breaking away and walking towards her waiting friends. Well actually just Kitty. Jubilee had already begun her campaign to empty the mall. "Yah always are."

"I promised, didn't I," Logan watched her walk away.

"You sure did," Rogue turned and gave him a parting smile. "Now go," she shooed him off.

----

"Ready?" walking upto to Ororo, Logan offered her a hand to hold onto.

"You bet your hairy-_ass_," Ororo channeled Jubilee, sliding her perfectly manicured hand into Logan's gloved one. Gripping it firmly, he gave it a gentle squeeze. "You know, that was an impressive piece of acting. I almost got duped myself."

"Acting?" Logan tried to sound confused, failing miserably from the stupid grin over his face. "'Whatcha talking about 'Ro?"

"You know what I am talking about," Ororo looked directly into his hazel eyes, a knowing smile on her face. "This morning, in the kitchen."

"Yeah?" Logan tried maintaining his façade.

"Come on Logan," Ororo smiled and shook her head. "You don't expect me to believe that you didn't deliberately put up the show with Jubilee. It was a good one. Jubilee comes to the kitchen; you catch her scent and bolt. Then when it appears that you aren't going to come for the whole day and when they approach and commandeer me, you return, just in time for lunch. Then you 'request' _me_ to accompany you, with the ruse that you don't want to spend three 'agonizing' hours with three hormonally high teenagers. Like I said, pretty impressive. The only thing I didn't get was who was helping you out. Your _snitch_. Guess even that question has been answered now."

"Didn't work though," Logan sobered up, but only just. "Ya saw right through it."

"Was it meant for me?" Logan shook his head at Ororo's question. "In that case, I'd say it worked just fine. You fooled both Jean and Scott, and that's saying something. Jean the telepathic and Scott…"

"The dick-head," Logan cut her off, getting a small punch in return.

"I was going to say, the quintessential strategist. He covers every detail."

"Like I said – dick-head."

"Logan," Ororo admonished him.

"Come on 'Ro," Logan frowned slightly. "I didn't do all this song an' dance to come here and waste time talkin' about Scooter. This is our time, and I want this ta be just about us. I have been waiting for this for a long time."

"What!" This time Ororo sounded surprised, even managing to put on a slightly disinterested front. "Its only been ten days."

"'_Ro!_" Logan scowled at her. "Ya gonna screw with me now?"

"Don't worry Logan," she stopped and turned to face him. "I know how much this means to you….and to me," she ended softly, a shy smile on her lips.

"Ya are the only one that matters ta me," Logan cupped her chin to lift it up to him. "Ya know that, dontcha?"

"No." Ororo shook her head. "You are lyng?"

"'Ro?" Logan gave her a look as if she had punched him through the gut and pulled out all his internal organs.

"There is someone else," Ororo's eyes narrowed with mischief. "Rogue. She also matters to you, so does Jean and Kitty and Jubilee. You should have said, I'm the one who matters the _'most'_."

"Ororo Monroe," Logan breathed a sigh of relief. "One of these days, ya are goin' ta give me a heart-attack that even the ol' healing factor won't be able to save me from."

"That's not possible," Ororo shook her head. "There is no chance of that. Because its not yours any longer. Its mine and I keep my things safe."

"That and everything else darlin'," Logan bent down to place a light kiss on her lips.

"That and everything else."

----

Later,

"Logan," Ororo spoke up. Both of them were sitting in the food court enjoying a _mid_-shopping snack. "I-I've got something to ask you?"

Logan swallowed the food he was chewing and cleared his throat. He knew what was coming next. He had been expecting it for quite some time now, ever since they separated from the girls.

"Yeah darlin'," he spoke softly. "Whatcha want ta ask?"

Ororo looked directly into his eyes. "Its more like I have to _tell_ you something."

"Yeah 'Ro," Logan winced slightly, waiting for Ororo to speak those dreaded words.

"I want you to…..."

----

"Oh god," Jean gasped, her face paling, her breath labored.

"_Jean!_ What happened?" Scott was instantly on her side, supporting her from falling over.

"Scott," she looked at her husband, utter and absolute shock on her face. "Ororo…"

"Ororo? What happened to Ororo? What is wrong with her?"

"Ororo….Scott Ororo…" the redhead telepath took deep breaths to calm herself. "Ororo, she…"

"Ororo's pregnant."

-

-

* * *

**_Note:_** Guess Jean wasn't that much off the mark, huh. And now that this secret is out, what will be the fallout? Who will be the last mutant left standing? 

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	6. Phone Call

**6. Phone Call**

**Summary:** Like the title says…a simple phone conversation between friends. Yeah, real good friends.

* * *

"_Ororo's pregnant"_

  
**_Tring Tring… Tring Tring _** (Cell Phone Rings)

"Hello." (Female Voice)  
"Ororo." (Male Voice)

"Yes Scott."  
"I want you guys to come back right _now_."

"Why? What happened?"  
"_Nothing_. Just come back. We have something very important that we have to talk to you about."

"Can't it wait until later?"  
"No. Its very important."  
"Important? What's so important that you want us to come back immediately?"  
"I can't talk about it over the phone. Just come back to the mansion, then we can talk."

--

"Who is it?" (Second Gruff Male voice)  
(Female covers phone with hand before speaking) "Scott."  
"Whatd's he want?"  
"I don't know. He's telling us to return to the mansion."

"Now?" (Second Male Frowning)  
"Immediately."

"Here let me talk." (Second male takes the phone from the female)

--

"Whatd'ya want one-eye?"  
"Logan. I want all of you to return to the mansion _immediately_."

"Why? What's so important, that it has got yer leader panties in a bunch?"  
"I don't wear….its doesn't matter what I wear, you have to come back NOW."

"Why? The Brotherhood attacking?"  
"No."

"Anyone get kidnapped?"  
"No."

"X-Men business?"  
"No…sort of."  
"What dya mean _sort of_?"  
"It-its…its about Ororo. Give the phone back to her and get back….."  
"I know, I know….get back to the mansion."  
"Yes." (First Male Scowling)

"Now look here Cyke. It is a Saturday, meaning its our 'day _off_'. So unless the world is about ta end, we ain't comin' back until the kids get their shoppin' done."

"Now listen here…"  
"_Cyclops._ Shut up fer a second and just listen to me."

"_What?_"  
"Stop wearin' Jeannie's red lace panties"

(Second male ends call)

--

"What was that all about?"  
"Don't know. Don't care."

"Do you think we should go back?"  
"No."  
"But Scott sounded as if it is important."  
"Na. He's just being his usual anal self."

"_Logan!_" (Female narrows eyes)  
"Sorry 'Ro, but do ya wanna go back?"  
"_No_…uhn….I mean yes."  
"_'Ro._" (This time male narrows eyes)

"No. Not yet." (Smiling)  
"Then we ain't going." (Male switches phone off)

"Logan!"  
"Yeah 'Ro" (Arching eyebrow)  
"What if someone wants to contact us?"  
"Someone? Who someone?"

"I mean….What if there is an emergency? An X-Men emergency.'  
"Then Chuck will pop inta our heads and let us know."  
"Log….mmph." (Cut off by deep kiss)

"Mmmmm…"

"Ya were sayin'." (Smirking)  
"Hmmm…Huh! What?" (Eyes glazed over)

"Ya were sayin' something darlin'."  
"I-I was saying we should…we still have more than two more hours before we have to go back."  
"That's what I thought ya said." (Winking)

"You know you are…"  
"A bad guy. I know"

"I was going to say, a very persuasive and convincing kisser"  
"Reeaaally now."

"Umm-Hmmm."  
"So ya convinced yet?"  
"Not completely."  
"Not completely huh. Guess I shoulda do somethin' about that."

"Well…" (Batting eyes) "…maybe you should."  
"Come 'ere" (Pulling to hidden side corridor for nice-long make out….ahem, _'convincing'_ session)

(Kissing sounds….lots of kissing. Two hours worth.)

-

-

* * *

**Note:** Sorry for the short chapter. Wanted to have this conversation, just couldn't place it in either the previous or the next chapter. Besides, it gives a nice resting point before the _Phoeno-Cycloptic_ showdown.

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	7. S““t hits the fan

**7. S--t hits the fan**

**Summary:** Returning from the mall and right into...the 'Telepathic Private-Eye' duo. Then what happens...well, as the title says. St hits the fan. Bigtime!

* * *

It was a little after seven in the evening that Logan pulled in the x-mansion gates, a contented Ororo by his side and three very satisfied teenagers in the second row. The rest of the vehicle was overflowing with bags from various stores, which the girls had raided.

They had barely pulled into the garage, when the husband-wife duo of Scott and Jean Grey-Summers descended down on them, like two _'information scavenging'_ vultures.

---

"What took you so long?" was the first thing out of Scott's mouth, his words causing five pairs of eyes to stare at him as if he had gone stark raving mad, which, given the current situation and the piece of news he knew, he might as well have.  
"What's yer deal one-eye? Been walking on burning coals since morning?" Logan shot back. "Get off yer high-horse fer at least one day."

"Ororo are you alright?" Jean asked coming forward from beside her husband. "You seem a bit tired. Maybe you should come to the infirmary and let me check you out."

Surprised and rather taken aback at the redheaded doctor's _over the top_ concern about her health, Ororo tried her best to school her features before responding.

"Jean, I assure you that I am in perfectly health, in body, mind and spirit," she answered with a serene smile gracing her lips. "Although, it looks to me that maybe you should extend that invitation to Scoot…Scott here."

Scott frowned at Ororo's _near_ slip up. One afternoon with Logan and she was already talking like him. However, a nickname was the least of his worries right now. He had something very serious and life threatening on his mind. Life threatening for Logan.

"Come on girls, get yer stuff out and skedaddle from here, before 'fearless' here blows a gasket," Logan spoke over his shoulder as he started to exit from the vehicle. Behind him broke out a particularly loud bout of _teenagy_-giggles.

----

Minutes later,

The garage was empty except of the four senior x-men, with Jean and Scott standing on side, like the challengers, which they were, and Logan and Ororo playing the part of the champions whom the challengers were trying to beat, or in this case, wrangle the information out of.

"What have you two being doing behind our backs?" Jean asked with a slightly mischievous smile but with very carefully chosen words.  
"Logan, you bastard. What have you done/" Alas, Scott wasn't as tactful. He was seeing _'red'_, more so than normal.  
"What are ya taking about Cyke?" Logan scowled at Scott. He was getting seriously pissed off now. Not only had Cyclops tried to stop them from going out, even if they had to go to the mall. He had also butted his _visored_ head later and tried to make them come back sooner. And now. Now he was placing the cherry on the cake…more like hammering in the last nail in the 'proverbial' coffin.

"Behind your backs?" Ororo was calmer of the pair. "What are you talking about Jean?"  
"You know what she is talking about?" Scott answered for his wife, getting the varying degrees of frowns and growls for his outburst. "You know what she is talking about?" he said softer the second time around.  
"No…I don't." Ororo answered hesitantly. She had her mental and emotional shields up. Something was very wrong here. Both Scott and Jean were acting as if they had been possessed. Maybe there was some sort of mind control going on here.

However that line of thought went out the window at the next words out of Jean's mouth.

"Ororo, are you pregnant?" The change in both Ororo and Logan's facial and eye expressions was instant. While Logan's scowl deepened, Ororo had a look on her face that could only be termed as pure and utter shock.

"Ororo?" Scott stepped forward, his hand raised towards the stunned weather goddess.

_**-SNIKT-  
**_  
Jean reached forward and grabbed her husband's hand, yanking him back and away, just in time to miss the swipe of three Adamantium claws. Logan had hunkered down and was staring with narrowed _predatory_ eyes at Scott. He looked like he would attack at any moment.

"What the…" Scott broke his gaze from Ororo to look at his wife for some explanation for her actions.

_Scott, don't make any sudden moves. The claws are out._ Jean warned telepathically.

Heeding her words, Scott stepped back to his initial position. He would have to conduct his investigation from here itself. He loved his body and wanted all of its parts to stay the way they were and not get hacked off by the feral Canadian.

---

"Who-Who told you that?" Her shock fading slightly, Ororo finally managed to form words.  
"No one." Jean answered a bit hesitantly. She knew this question would come up, only she didn't expect it to be the first one.  
"Then how did you know?" Ororo was the one asking the questions, having stayed Logan's progress with a single look and slight shake of her head.

"We-we…" Jean began. "We scanned your mind."

"_WHAT?"_ Ororo's surprised cry rang out aloud, echoing from the high walls of the garage. "You did WHAT?"  
"Scanned your mind," Jean answered meekly.  
"Ororo you've to try and understand," Scott spoke up. "We had no other choice. We were worried about your well-being. We were worried," he repeated casting a narrow-eyed scowl at Logan, who just answered it one of his own. "And from what we discovered, it is clear that it was rightly so."  
"I cannot _believe_ this," Ororo answered tightly. "You two are supposed to be my best-friends, or maybe should I say _were_ supposed to be my best-friends."  
"Ororo…." Jean was the one to step forward this time, her steps stopping almost immediately at Ororo's cold voice.

"Don't. Don't come _near_ me," the weather witch gritted out in a steeled voice.

With that, she turned away and started walking towards the garage door, her long white skirt swishing behind her. The weather outside the garage had suddenly grown dark and ominous, clearly mimicking the mood of its mistress.

"Ororo," Scott started behind her, but was held back by a heavy hand on his shoulder.  
"Stay the fuck _away_ from her," Logan warned. He had retracted the claws from the hand that held Scott right now, his other hand rising in front of his face. "Both of you. Back off."  
"Logan we are her….we've got to help…." Jean began, but Logan cut her off.  
"No Red, ya have done all the helping ya could. Both of ya," he stepped back to bring Scott into his line of sight. "So keep yer help ta yerself and let her be."

"We can't do that," Jean argued. "Especially in her current state."  
"What state is that Jeannie?" Logan folded his hands in front of his chest, his clawed hand still having its claws out.  
"She is pregnant Logan. _Pregnant_," Jean narrowed her eyes at the ex-secret agent. "You should know that better than anyone else."

"Me?" Logan tried to sound surprised.

"Yes. You," Jean answered, her words being interjected by a wimpy growling effort from Scott. "You are the father, are you not?"  
"Yeah. So what?" Logan's frank and calm answer surprised both Jean and Scott. They hadn't expected this sort of an answer from Logan. Then again, they hadn't expected Ororo to blow her top off either. This truly was a day of surprises.  
"So when were the both of you going to tell us?" Scott mimicked Logan's position, keeping a hand free to reach for his visor.

In response, Logan merely shrugged his shoulders. "We weren't."  
"You weren't?" Jean exclaimed loudly, her face coloring once again. This time with anger.

Outside the winds had picked up speed, rattling against the garage shutters.

"Of course he wasn't," Scott twisted Logan's words to make it all about him. "He is a bloody dishonorable bast…_oomph_," Scott gasped as a solid metal-laced fist found its way to his gut, knocking the air out of him as he grasped at his abdomen and fell onto his knees.

"_SCOTT!_" Jean cried out, as she raised her hand to fling Logan to the opposite side of the garage.

----

Logan was instantly up on his feet, both sets of claws out and ready for the attack he was expecting to come. Keeping his distance from the couple kneeling on the ground, he spoke in a cold growl.

"Scooter, I may be an asshole, but I ain't without honor…not like you guys," he threw in at the end.

With that, he started walking towards them, continuing to speak in the same tone.

"I ain't the one who goes behind my friend's back and sticks my nose where it don't have any business being in the first place. And I definitely ain't the one who does some psychic-telepathic mumbo jumbo and rape her mind."  
"Logan, I didn't….I mean we didn't mean to…." Jean started apologetically, all her momentary anger forgotten. "….we just wanted what was best for her."  
"Everyone says that Jeannie. Everyone. Magneto wants the best fer the mutants. Stryker wanted the best for the humans. Look where it got them and us," Logan pointed out. "Ya died and yer pansy-ass husband nearly lost it. Just fer wanting the best."

"I-I'm sorry." Jean looked down. Scott, who was still holding his sides, didn't say anything.

----

"As fer the question of 'Ro being on the way, whatever gave you that idea? What did ya hear or see that made you get in her face and screw up everything?"

"We…I mean I saw…" Jean started.

_/Flashback/ (Jean's P.O.V. – looking into Ororo' head)_

Ororo – "Logan. I-I've got something to ask you?"  
Logan – "Yeah darlin'. Whatcha want ta ask?"

Ororo – "Its more like I have to tell you something."  
Logan – "Yeah 'Ro," (Logan's voice slightly tight)

Ororo – "I want you to help with the kids."  
Logan – "'Ro…Do I have ta?"

Ororo – "Yes. They are as much yours as they are mine."  
Logan – "'Ro, you know I ain't good with this caring n' nurturing."

Ororo – "You are lying and you know it. I have seen you how you are with Rogue and the other students. You are a natural at this."  
Logan – "'Ro…that is different. They-they're all grown up."

Ororo – "You mean they are not yours….your own,.your responsibility." (Slightly annoyed)  
Logan – "I didn't say that. Ya know me. We had a deal. I pay the money and ya take care of it…of the things. Me helping out and getting my hands dirty wasn't a part of the deal."

Ororo – "Well, I am changing the 'deal'. I want you to get involved and get your hands….as you so eloquently worded it…'Dirty'."  
Logan – "'Ro…" (Pleading voice)

Ororo – "Are you going to help or not?" (No nonsense tone)  
Logan – "Hmph. I'll do it…." (Mumbles)

Ororo – "I didn't get that. Can you speak a little louder and look at me when you say it."  
Logan – "I said I'll DO IT." (Frowns)

Ororo – "That's more like it. Good boy." (Pats hand)  
Logan – "Yeah, real good." (Mumbles) "I was better of bad."

/End Flashback/

---

Logan stood silent as Jean finished recounting the conversation she had eaves dropped on.

"So Logan, what do you have to say for yourself?" Jean asked with her hands crossed at her chest, a hard glint in her eyes.  
"Nothing," Logan shrugged. "Its pretty clear that there ain't thing going on."

"Asshole," Scott muttered under his breath, instantly getting a growl from Logan for his verbal efforts.

"Logan how can you say this?" Jean anger jumped a couple of levels at Logan's cavalier attitude. "How can you do this to Ororo and the kid….kids!" She just realized the plural. "How many exactly are there?"  
"Two," Logan grumbled. "….and I ain't doing anything wrong."

"_Wrong_? WRONG?" Jean yelled out. "You know Scott was right about what he said to yourself. How can you do this to your own children, your own flesh and blood? How can you kill them like this?"  
"Kill?" Logan's head jerked up. "Who said anything about killin' them?"  
"You did," Jean shot back. "When you said that you'll pay the money and Ororo will take care of the…_'things'_. That's what you called them."  
"Yeah so?" Logan looked confused. "That was our deal. Until she changed it," he grumbled again.

"DEAL? Is that what you call it," Jean got right into his face. "Is that what an abortion means to you….a DEAL?"

---

Time seemed to stand still as the two power houses faced off. Until suddenly, without any provocation, Logan did the one thing that neither Jean nor Scott expected him to do.

He threw his head back and burst out laughing.

-

-

* * *

**_Note:_** Logan's gone crazy…well, more crazy than usual. What will Mr. El'Loco Claws do next? Coming up in the next chapter...might take 3-4 days to get it up. Sorry about that.

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	8. Fight Night

**08. Fight Night**

**Summary:** Logan handles the 'screwies'. Then they go for...well for the 'Fight Night'

* * *

Her eyes wide as saucers, Jean stared at Logan. The feral mutant was holding his sides, leaning against a support beam. His deep unfettered laugh was both confusing and unnerving for the couple standing before him. 

"Why are you laughing?"

They had never seen him laugh like this, let alone for so long, and it wasn't something they were too sure they wanted to hear or see on a regular basis. They were afraid that once he stopped laughing they were going to get their sorry asses handed to them, and sure enough his demeanor sobered at Scott's next words.

"Do you think its funny, hurting Ororo like this?"  
"I ain't the one that hurt 'Ro," Logan answered, his tone instant gone cold. "Ya did that all by yerselves." He added, rubbing salt into their fresh _'shameful'_ wounds.  
"Logan. We are sorry," Jean apologized. "We didn't think it would go so far. We just…."  
"I know Jeannie," Logan cut her off. "Ya just wanted what was _best_ fer her."  
"No," Jean lowered her head. "What I wanted to say was that, it was just meant to be a joke."

"A JOKE!" Logan's eyes widened. "You enter her mind and invade her privacy. Nice joke Jean. Couldn't have thought a better one myself. Way ta go? What are ya going ta do fer an encore?. Rig Chuck's chair so that it runs him off the stairs, cause that will be a nice follow up for what ya did ta Ororo."

"_Logan_." Scott spoke tightly.  
"Scott, please," Jean silenced him and turned to Logan. "We…I just wanted to surprise her. Its just that the time I linked with her, was the time she was started to you about your children."  
"And ya just couldn't do yer trick and get out or just leave her alone until later. Could ya?" Logan shot back.  
"We said we are sorry," Scott shot angrily.  
"No you didn't," Logan's voice was cold. "Jean did. Not you. You didn't do jack shit. And if you want to say sorry, you should be sayin' it to 'Ro and not me. I don't have anything to do with it."  
"How can you say that?" Jean cried out. "They are as much yours as they are hers."

"Na, they are all hers," Logan started towards the couple. "Come with me," he said as he passed them.

---

Five minutes later,

"Th-those…" Jean looked up at Logan with surprised eyes, shame trickling into them.  
"Those are the 'kids'," Logan completed dryly.  
Scott just stood; slack jawed at the sight before him.

In front of them, stood two young plants, planted in the tropical section of Ororo's greenhouse.

"Bu…but…" Jean still couldn't form the words. "…she said that they are as much yours as they are hers."  
"Yeah," Logan answered. Walking to the plants, he gently caressed their leaves. "I paid fer getting them and Ororo takes care of them."  
"So, _that_ was the deal you were talking about?" Jean stated rather than questioned.  
"Yeah." Logan sighed as he turned towards them. "Till this afternoon. Now she wants me to help with them. She's got this one up on me."  
"Got one up? How?"

"She got you an' one-eye here to agree to come to one of my fights," Logan smirked at the stupefied look on Cyclops's face. "So I've gotta help me now."

"We really screwed up?" Jean whispered to Scott.  
"Big time," Logan was the one to answer.  
"We have to go to Ororo and explain it to her," Scott finally spoke. "We should go now."  
"You ain't going anywhere," Logan was in front of him in a flash. "Ya have done enough screwing up fer one day."  
"So who is going to explain it to her?" Behind his ruby colored glasses, Scott narrowed his eyes. "You?"  
"Who else?" That infernal smirk on Logan's face was playing havoc with Scott's patience. He knew that Logan was at an advantage and was wringing it for all its worth. "She ain't gonna let you or Jeannie get within ten feet of her."

"Scott…he's correct," Jean held her husband back.  
"Jean!" Scott gave Jean a look that was somewhere between pleading and anger, with a smattering of _'are you out of your mind'_ thrown in for good measure. But the look on her face, silenced him. "Okay."

Logan turned to Jean before leaving the greenhouse.

"Both of ya go get ready and meet us in the garage in an hour. I'll get 'Ro to get ready and come," with that he started walking away. "An' one-eye, yer goin' to a cage-fight, not a dinner-n'-movie place. So don't wear any of yer pansy ass suits."

"Son of a…." Scott started, forgetting that Logan could still hear him.

"Back at ya," came a voice from the other side of the door.

---

About an hour later,

Both Jean and Scott were sitting on a workbench in the garage, waiting for Ororo and Logan.

"Do you think he managed to convince her?" Scott asked, unsure of the abilities and intents of the rough beer-guzzling Canadian.

"I think…" Jean started, stopping as the sounds of approaching feet reached her ears. Seconds later Ororo came through the far side door, Logan just behind her.

Whatever Logan had said, seemed to have worked. Ororo was looking….well, she was looking absolutely _'WOW'_ in her navy blue hip-hugger jeans and plain white shirt, tied at the bottom and buttoned all the way except for the top two buttons, revealing more than a hint of cleavage, her ample bosom clearly lined out under the tightly tied shirt. Her long white hair, tightly tied in a thick ponytail, accentuated her perfectly formed cheekbones. Even casually dressed with the only minimal make-up, she looked HOT.

Even Scott gulped at the sight before him. The only thing marring her perfect beauty was the slight redness in her eyes, an indication of the tears she had shed due to Scott and Jean's telepathic screw up. Jean lowered her face, unable to meet her friend's gaze.

Besides her was Logan and he looked…he looked just like he did an hour ago. The only new thing about him was the almost empty duffle bag he held in one hand, a fresh unlit cigar grasped in the first two fingers of the other.

"Ororo…" Scott started as she came closer.  
"Can it One-Eye," Logan spoke for her. "We are goin' to go out to have a _nice_ time. Ya can do all yer psycho-babble an' grovellin' t'morrow."

Frowning at the 'groveling' comment, Scott turned his gaze to Ororo, only to have her give him a small, slightly indifferent smile and hand him a note.

"What's this?" He asked as he glanced at the note.

"This is directions to get ta where we are going?" Logan spoke again.  
"Aren't you coming with us?" Jean asked worriedly.  
"Logan and me, we are going on his…Scott's bike," this time around, the smile on Ororo's lips was a genuine one. "You and Scott, you will have to follow us in one of the cars."

"_Why_?" Scott asked.  
"Because she don't want to travel with ya right now. Yer sendin' _weirdo_ waves, strong enough fer me ta detect," Logan clarified.  
"Logan…" Ororo laid a gentle hand on his forearm, smiled up at him and gave a gentle shake of the head for him to stop giving Scott the third degree. "Scott…I just want to get some air. I hope you understand."  
"Yes," Scott nodded and hung his head, letting out a dejected sigh.  
"Good," Logan commented, flinging his duffle bag over the side of the bike, a muffled clink from inside it drawing Jean's attention.

"What's in that?" The redhead asked curiously.  
"Energy drink." Logan answered with a grin, a glint in his eyes.  
"Energy drink?" Jean looked confused. "Since when do you need an energy drink?"  
"Its my kinda drink," Logan threw back at her as he flipped open the cover of the bag and pulled out the _'energy'_ drink, a brand new sealed bottle of whisky.

"You are going to drink while you fight?" Scott exclaimed.

"No. I am going to wash my feet and shove the bottle up yer ass," Logan's scoff was equally heated. "Of course I am going ta drink. How else do you expect me to fight? Give myself a long winded pep-talk? Now stop wasting my time. I don't wanta be late fer the fight." With that, he slung a leg over he bike, handing Ororo the black full-face helmet as she climbed on behind him.  
"What about you?" Jean voiced her concern. "Don't you need a helmet?"  
"Already got one," Logan tapped the side of his head. "A twenty-four seven indestructible metal one, or did ya ferget it?"

Jean merely nodded her head and followed Scott to the car they were going to take, another one of the un-marked ones from the Xavier vehicle stable.

----

It was nearly ten when Scott pulled into the dirt parking lot of what have been mistaken for a rundown barn at any time, except for the more than hundred bikes and dozens of cars and trucks parked around it. There we even quite a few of those huge truck-trailers parked a short distance away.

"This must be the place," Jean murmured, her gaze roving to catch sight of her teammates, neither of them visible in the dark poorly negligibly lit lot.  
"Do you have any doubt," Scott gritted as he looked for a parking space.

Suddenly a teenager came running towards them, causing Scott to slam on the brakes, jerking both him and Jean forward in their seats.

"Hey man." The boy piped up. "You looking for the Wolverine?"  
"Yes." Scott nodded warily. The unfamiliar surroundings and the setting were making the hair on the back of his neck stand up.  
"He and his lady, they went inside," the young man flashed a toothy grin, causing the freckles on his cheeks to bunch up. "He told me to wait for you and help you park once you came and then take you to him."

"Oh, Ok." Scott relaxed a little…but not completely.

"Follow me," throwing that over his shoulder, the teen jogged down the dirt path.

Within minutes, he had them parked and standing in front of a door, which Scott took be a side entrance meant for the fighters.

Unlocking the door, he directed them inside, locking the door behind him. "This place isn't exactly on the up and up," he gave a slightly shy explanation.  
"What if the police come?" Jean asked; her mental shields completely up.  
"Nah," the boy flipped his hand and gave them a conspiratory wink. "They are very cooperative."  
"The organizers make sure of that," Scott completed his line of thought.  
"_Exactly_." another toothy grin.

"Here," they stopped a front of a closed door. "This is his room. He must be getting ready. We start in fifteen minutes." Opening the door, he called out. "Hey man, your guests are her."  
"Thanks kid," a gruff voice came from somewhere inside the room. "Let them in. Their places ready?"  
"Yup," the boy answered. "Three ringside seats ready and waiting."  
"'k. Come in Jeannie," Logan first called out to Jean. "…ya too Cyke."

"Hey," Scott called out the boy who had started walking away. "This…this is for helping us," he offered him a twenty dollar note.  
"Keep it man," came the good-natured answer. "Tonight everything's on the house. Tonight is pay-night for me, all thanks to Wolverine."

At Scott's confused face he continued. "I have a five hundred bet going. If the night goes fine, I should be more than set for the next month, or at least he comes again," he gestured towards the closed door. "You see I only come when he comes and I only bet on him."  
"Oh," Scott nodded in understanding. "What do you do in the day?"  
"Me! I go to college." That set the two X-Men a little back. "Second year Arts. All thanks to the big guy inside. He found him running from some guys and helped me get settled. Someone known as FOH, at least that's what he said."

"Oh." Jean's voiced her surprise. "So you are…"  
"Yup," the youngster answered before she could complete her sentence. "Low level empathy; that's what I do."  
"And you know…"  
"About him and you," he made it clear that he realized about Scott and Jean's relationship with the Wolverine. "Yup. Now I gotta go and get everything ready for him. I'll meet you when you come out. If I am not there, just ask for Wolverine's boy."

With that, he sped away along the dark corridor.

----

Fifteen minutes later, Scott, Jean found themselves sitting next to a large metal cage in the center of the room. Next to them was Ororo and all around them were women of all ages and sizes.

"I can't believe he made me sit in the female section," Scott growled as he looked all around him.  
"No," Ororo spoke over Jean's shoulder. "He made us sit it the female section. You are just sitting along with us."  
"Exactly." Scott pointed out.

"Scott, it was for our _'safety'_," Jean laid a hand on his thigh and smiled at him.

Instead of saying anything, Scott just grumbled under his breath.

Soon the fights began. The first two fighters being completely unknown to the trio, but the cheering crowd told them that they were regulars. The fight ended when one of the men picked up the stool lying in his corner and smashed it against the competitor's back. Instead of putting off, that particular action drove the crowd wild, their adrenaline jumping a couple of notches at the raw brutality of the fight.

"Where is Logan?" Jean asked Ororo.  
"Wolverine." Ororo clarified. "Here he is Wolverine. No one knows 'Logan' here…and he likes to keep it that way."  
"Okay," Jean nodded, realizing that this wasn't the first time Ororo had been here, and wondering, how long had this been going on…and how in the world, had she missed noticing it until now. "Where is Wolverine?"  
"He'll be here soon," answered Ororo, her eyes stuck at the door they had come through and from which the other fighters were stepping through. "There," her eyes lit up as she jerked her head to indicate Jean and Scott to follow her line of sight.

Just as instantly, a hush seemed to come over the crowd, but only for a moment. The as soon as the silence had risen, there rose a chanting of a name…his name, getting louder by the second as more people realized that the champion had entered the arena.

The next fight got over quickly. The new challenger was a huge mountain of a man, over seven feet tall and with more than three hundred and fifty pounds of rippling trucker muscle. He quickly dealt with the first fighter, a massive fist to the face knocking him unconscious, along with healthy amount of blood and two of his front teeth.

The MC came in to announce the winner and hold up his arm. The giant in turn snubbed him and walked around the cage, both of his arms pointing upwards as he flipped the bird to the gathering. The cheering that had risen for him, at this action instantly changed to a booing. Coming to the ladies section he leered down at the women, his salacious gaze finally settling at the cleaned and most beautiful looking women in the crowd. Jean and Ororo.

Staring at them, he puckered his lips and made kissing noises at them.

"Big guy. You don't wanna do that." Wolverine's _gopher_ appeared all a sudden, his thin form coming in between them. "It isn't good for your health."  
"Fuck off," was the grunted answer.

"Your funeral," the boy shrugged. "But don't say I didn't warn you."

----

Just then, the MC announced the next competitor.

"Ladies and their brothers, now coming to the ring, your reigning undisputed champion, the one and only…._WOLVERINE_."

The crowd went raving wild at his announcement, more than half to them rising to their feet in honor of their champion and star entertainer, but most importantly THE money machine.

"Here we go," Scott rolled his eyes as the cage door opened and the Wolverine stepped inside, a smoldering cigar clenched between his teeth and a half filled glass of whisky in his right hand. Except for the worn out black jean that he had changed into for the fight, he was complete naked. No shirt, no shoes, nothing. And from the hoots and screams of appreciation from the women, it was clear that they liked him that.

Stepping up to his corner, nearest to where his teammates were sitting, he rested his glass on the stool that had been set there for him, placing the smoldering cigar into the ashtray resting on it.

Cracking his neck, a gesture that his teammates knew well, he swaggered back to the center, waiting for the MC to get the pleasantries and introductions out of the way. According to the rules, both fighters had to wait till the MC was out of the cage and the door was locked behind him.

----

**WHAMMM!**

All three X-Men winced as a heavy blow connected with their teammate's mutton chopped face. For a normal person, a blow like that would have knocked him/her off their feet, but for the Wolverine it just caused his face to turn to the other side.

Almost immediately, capitalizing on the headway he 'thought' he had, the current defender landed three strong punches, one after the other, the last one finally succeeding in knocking down the Wolverine, flat on his stomach.

Getting on all fours, Logan started to crawl to his corner, only to have a solid heavy boot connect with this mid section and bodily lift him off the ground.

"What is he doing?" Jean winced from behind the hand covering her face, peering out just in time to witness another kick to the gut, this one causing Logan to slip and eat dirt…literally. "Why is he not fighting?"

Sitting beside her, Ororo didn't answer, her own attention fixed at the man she loved, all the while trying her level best to not lose control and step in for herself, bringing the power of the elements to aid him…_avenge_ him. She had her fingers tightly wrapped around the side of her chair, her teeth firmly embedded in her lower lip.

"He-He's showing off," Scott answered as the reality dawned on him. Even he had flinched at the first couple of knocks. "He is playing the crowd…. entertaining them."

----

Sure enough, the next time a leg came towards his midsection, Wolverine caught it mid swing and pulled at it, causing its owner to come along with it and land with a thud on this behind.

Pushing himself up, he staggered to his corner and lifted his glass, which he then raised towards the three 'guests'.

"That one was fer you, Cyke," he grinned at Scott, blood from healed wounds spattered across his lower jaw.

Throwing his head back, he emptied the glass's contents, washing away the coppery taste of blood from his mouth. Setting it down he wiped the back of his hand across his lips and turned his gaze to a worried Ororo.

Giving her a smirk, he mischievously winked his at her and whispered under his breath, knowing that Ororo would be able to read his lips.

"An' this is fer you 'Ro."

-

-

**_

* * *

Note:_** Got nothing to say here….except, I feel sorry for the other guy.

Please Review!


	9. Cooling Down

**09. Cooling Down**

**Summary:** The 'night-time' entertainment continues...both inside and outside the cage!

* * *

_**WHAMM! WHAMM!**_

Two consecutive roundhouse punches, and the other fighter was knocked right off his feet and onto the cage floor, five feet from where he had been standing just a couple of seconds ago.

"Ooooo….that's _gotta_ hurt," Scott winced, feeling the shock waves of the larger man hitting the floor.  
"_Definitely._" Ororo's eyes lit up with anticipation and pride at finally seeing the Wolverine in his element.  
"Yeah," was all Jean said, her eyes flitting between the unconscious fighter and the winner, Wolverine, as he walked over to his 'former' opponent, and gently nudged him with a bare foot.

Detecting no movement, he turned and swaggered to the corner, completely neglecting the roar of the crowd around him.

"Wolverine in tha house," his gopher cried out, his cry answered by a thumping of hands and beer mugs on the tables, the cry of Wolverine repeated over and over again.  
"This is sickening," Scott lowered his head between his hands.  
"What happened Scott?" Jean asked worriedly. "Are you not feeling well?"  
"I am fine," she got snapped at.

"He is just overcome with awe," Ororo supplied dryly, her eyes still stuck at the heaving form of the Wolverine. "_Nice_," she whispered under her breath, loud enough for one person to hear, and sure enough, the next instant, his head jerked towards her, his eyes meeting and holding hers, his nostrils flaring trying to capture her scent.

Staring at each other for a few fleeting moments they finally broke away as the MC stepped in and announced the winner and the next challenger.

---

The rest of the night went predictably, with Wolverine downing down glass after glass of the bitter fiery liquid and knocking down fighters with just as much frequency.

_I hate you._ Scott projected to Jean, causing her to break down in giggles.

"What happened?" Ororo arched a perfectly formed snowy eyebrow at her.

"Nothing. Nothing at all," Jean shook her head as she tried to stifle her giggles, stealing teasing glances at her husband's face. Scott had his arms crossed in front of his chest, a childlike scowl on his face. Seeing Logan beat down challenger after challenger and get hooted at and swooned at for it. This he _definitely_ did not need.

About a couple of hours, the last fight ended and as always the Wolverine was announced the final winner.

Throwing the cage door open, the champion stomped away to the changing room, all without even so much as a glance towards his teammates.

"Hey, where did he go?" Scott looked around, missing Logan slip away before the crowd broke up.  
"To his room," Ororo guessed and sure enough, the young man who had been guiding them the entire night, all while providing refills of whisky for _his_ fighter, appeared at their side, voicing the same words.  
"So did you guys enjoy yourself?" he was practically gushing. "Me," he patted his jacket. "I'm set for the next month and then some."  
"We did not bet," Scott informed him. "Two people beating each other does not count as entertainment in _our_ book," he automatically included both his female companions.

"Man, you may be Wolverine's friend, but you are a real tight ass," the boy shot back, gaining a glare from the bespectacled Scott. "Come on," he gestured to the three X-Men to follow him.

---

"Hey babe. You wanta get outta here and have a good time," a beer breathed, middle aged trucker stepped in front of Jean.

Before she could say anything, Scott answered. "Take care of what you say to my _wife_."

"She's yer wife huh," one last appreciative glance at the redhead and the trucker stepped aside from her. "'kay man, 'am a married man myself an' don't step on another man's property…at least not when he's there. But what about your friend here," he gestured towards Ororo and turned to her. "She looks real fine. I am sure she could teach me a couple of things."

This time Ororo answered, raising a hand to silence Scott.

"I am sure that I definitely could have quite a few things that I could _teach_. However, whether you have the mental faculties to absorb them, that is a question that is open for a rather lengthy speculation, one for which I regretfully admit I do not have the time right now." Her voice smooth, her tone even, it was clear that Ororo was enjoying the confused look on the trucker's face. "So I must politely reject your invitation.

"Huhn!" The middle aged beer-gut trucker lifted his cap and scratched his balding head. "What did ya say?"

"No." This time around Ororo spoke in a tone he could comprehend. "Not that I don't like you, but I too am married," her words stunned her teammates more than they did the trucker, who didn't let up. Both Scott and Jean were dumbstruck at the way Ororo was playing the stranger.  
"Nice, but no cigar," he gave her a toothy grin. "I don't see a ring on yer finger."

"Oh that," Ororo raised her ring hand and turned it upside down. "My husband doesn't like me wearing anything…anything at all," she was enjoying baiting the trucker. She had seen Logan return from his room, his clothes changed and his duffle bag slung over his shoulder.

Right now he was walking towards the group, with only Ororo able to see him, as Jean and Scott were standing sideways, staring at her.

"Is zat so," the trucker was practically drooling now. "Maybe I will take you and see you without anything on."

Ororo just shook her head. "My husband wouldn't like that."  
"He doesn't have ta know," was the instant reply.  
"Too late for that," Ororo pointed over the trucker's shoulder. "He already does. Maybe you should _'talk'_ it over with him."

"Oh yeah, I can…" turning around with bravado, half glazed over eyes widened in shock and fear at the man standing behind him, a half smoked cigar dangling from his lips. The same man, who had just gotten off from beating the shit out of over a dozen men who were brave enough….stupid enough to go against him.

"Wol-Wolver…"

"Wolverine," Ororo supplied sweetly, greatly enjoying the sudden change in the trucker. He was even shaking with fear.

"She-she….she yours?" He finally managed to blurt out.  
"Yeah," was the deep growl. "Who's askin'?"  
"No one, no one at all," managing to get those few words out, the prospective Romeo, stepping away to get away from the Wolverine and his woman. "Good night Ma'am," he bowed his head to Ororo before practically running away, stumbling over a couple of chairs and landing on his face.

"Ya ok?" Logan asked Ororo.  
"Absolutely," she answered with a smile.  
"Jeannie?" Logan looked at the redhead, who had been dumbstruck by the interaction taking place before her. Ororo had been enjoying leading the trucker on. And now this? Logan? Even though he would have beaten the trucker to a pulp, it was clear that a small part of him liked seeing Ororo like this.  
"Huh? What?" She looked up at Logan standing a couple of feet from her. "Yes Logan, everything is fine."  
"Lets go," he jerked his head towards the main entrance and began walking towards it without waiting for a reply from his teammates, who were more than happy to follow him and get out and away from here.

"I am also fine Logan," Scott grumbled under his breath. "Thank you for _asking_."

---

"So I guess we'll see you at the mansion," Jean mused, still not recovered completely from her recent experience. Even though she wouldn't admit it to anyone, she had enjoyed the sheer rawness of the fight and the electric atmosphere of the place, although she could do without the smoke and the excessive alcohol. 'But then it won't be the same place, would it?' she knocked herself.  
"Yeah," Logan answered as Ororo settled behind him, her long legs instantly closing in against his, her one hand resting along the curve of his back. "But we are goin' to be late. So don't stay up and don't let One-Eye stay up either."  
"Late?" Scott interjected. "Why? Where are you going?"  
"'Ro needs ta get some air and time alone frem ya geeks and so do I," Logan gave him an abridged explanation, gunning the bike's engine and revving it. "So. Like it said, don't stay up."

"Scott, let it go," Jean laid a calming hand on her husband's shoulder. "He is correct. She needs some time alone."  
"But with _him_?" Scott frowned. Its not that he didn't like Logan…well, tolerate him, and not that he wasn't happy that he had finally following Jean like a dog in heat. It was just that the idea of Ororo and him didn't quite sit well in his black and white, well red, world. Especially at a time like this, just after a fight.  
"Yes with him," Jean squeezed his shoulder.

"Hmph," was all Scott said before he pressed the ignition button.

----

Couple of hours later,

"_LOGANNNN..._" Ororo cried out as her orgasm washed over her, the thunder and lightening outside mirroring her passionate release. "Lo…ggga…unnnnhh."

A few seconds later, a loud roar of "ORORO," boomed in the room as Logan reached his own climax, going rigid and coming deep inside her, his teeth sinking down deep into her shoulder in an effort to stifle any further roars.

"Logan….Logan…oh Logan…" Ororo murmured his name over and over again, feeling him pulse inside her, completely coating her slick inner walls. One of her hands was continuously caressing his hair, the other drawing small imaginary circles on his sweat slicked back.

They had separated from Scott and Jean at the fight venue, telling them that they needed air and some time alone away from the mansion.  
Well the second part had been the truth; they did indeed need some time alone. Alone as in just the two of them. Driving as a maniac, Logan covered an hour's worth of distance in forty minutes flat, having twice used the turbo on Scott's bike.

Their destination was Logan's apartment, one that he kept for _'non'_ x-men business. Only two people knew about its existence, Rogue and Ororo, with Ororo being the only one who knew its location.

Reaching there, they had their clothes half off even before they got to their floor, with Logan carrying Ororo the last few feet from the elevator, her arms and legs tightly wrapped around him, her hands at the back of his head, pulling him to and into her.

---

Now they lay wrapped in each other's arms, their labored breathing slowly coming back to normal.

"Logan," Logan looked down to Ororo, her chin resting on his chest, her still glazed azure eyes looking up at him.  
"Hmm…" he returned, running his fingers through her platinum tresses, wrapping a lock around his index finger, feeling at peace with the way there were.  
"Thank you," Ororo answered back as she bent down to plant a kiss on his chest, sending a jolt of pure passion through his entire being, his hardening member against her inner thigh letting her know the same and arousing her even further.

"What fer?" he stroked her jaw and gently nudged her to look at him once again.  
"For the way you handled…" she stopped for a second, trying to form her next words clearly but not too sharply.  
"Handled?" Logan smirked. "Ya mean the 'doofus -duo'?

Ororo giggling loudly, lowering her head to nuzzle against his chest. "Doofus-duo. Where did you ever learn that word from?"

"Don't know," Logan shrugged. "Musta been one of the kids. Why? Anythin' wrong with it?"  
"No. Nothing at all," Ororo shook her head, raising it once again to look at his relaxed visage, marveling at how he could be innocence, dangerous and so attractive…all at the same time. "You are beautiful," she caressed his cheek with the back of her fingers.  
"Beautiful?" Logan scoffed, as he captured her fingers and brought it to his lips for a soft chaste kiss. "Yer the one that is the beautiful one. So naturally ya see beauty inside everyone around you. So tell me what are ya thankin' me about."

"For handling the situation at the mansion?" she smiled shyly.

"It ain't like I told a lie to them," Logan returned her smile. Turning to his side, he laid her gently on her back, trailing a finger from her forehead to her kiss-swollen lips, along her smooth neck, gently caressing _his_ mark on her shoulder, along the valley of her breasts, down to circle around her belly button, finally lifting it away as he reached the small soft triangle of her snowy pubic hair. "Did I?"

Ororo just shook her head, her body burning from a fire rising from the trail of his finger. "No," she answered huskily, her voice filled with want.

"Jeannie asked about our kids and I told her about our _'kids'_," he reached down and kissed her deeply on her lips.  
"Logan…." Ororo moaned as they finally broke contact.

"After all they are also my kids, just like…." He stopped talking, letting his hand do it for him.

The hand, which was protectively draped over her flat abdomen.

"Yes," Ororo answered heavily. "Our kids, yours' and mine."

"_Ours_…our children."

-

-

* * *

**Note:** There are too many children running around here, aren't there? Well, two at the mall, two at the mansion, two here. Just how many kids are there?

All to come soon….just don't forget to review! 


	10. Morning After

**10. Morning After**

**Summary:** Jubilee is on the hunt, but for what?

* * *

"Hey, did you hear the latest news, hot hot hot, right off the presses," Jubilee Lee jumped onto her bed adjacent to those of her classmates and roommates, Kitty Pryde and Rogue.

"Yeah? Whose presses?" Rogue drawled in her molasses like southern accent. "Youhrs. Can't believe anything coming frem thaht."  
"Hmph. Pbbfrt." Jubilee shut out her tongue at her. "O' ye' of little faith. Kit-Kat let me tell you. You'll find it interesting. What can I do if Roguey here doesn't want to know about Logan?"

"_Logan?_" Rogue's ears perked up. "What happened to him? Is he ahlright? Did he get hurt? Captured? What _HAPPENED_?"

"Sheesh. Calm down girl," Jubilee held up her hands. "He is fine….for now.""What do you mean for now?" Kitty cut in. "Is something going to happen to Mr. Logan."  
"Kitty," Jubilee made a face at her. "Why do you call him 'Mr'? Even he has told you to call him 'just' Logan. _Don't use that Mr. Logan shit with me_," she mimicked a perfect Loganesque accent, and if both Rogue and Kitty wouldn't have been so worried, they might have laughed.  
"Cut the crap yella and tehl us about Logan," Rogue threatened, her own inner Wolverine slipping through, complete with a nice growl.

"Ok, Ok," Jubilee silenced them. "Come closer," she gestured with her hands.

Once the two girls came close, she gave a secretive smile, which meant whatever piece of news she was going to leak out was a big one and most probably involved some romantic liaisons.

"Roguey and Kittty-Kat, your Mr. Logan….." she let the words linger, getting scoff and frowns from her roommates. "Your Mr. Logan is…."  
"Jubilee yah betta spit it out or….." Rogue let her own threat linger much like Jubilee.  
"Hey, how do you expect me to retain my reputation, if I just go around _'spitting'_ out the biggest thing since I _exposed_ Jean and Scottie marriage," Jubilee reasoned. On getting no response, flipped her hand and proceeded with her news.  
"Your 'Mr.' Logan…." she pointed at Kitty, "…is…" this time she pointed at Rogue, "…_boning_ your Ms. Monroe."

Both Kitty and Rogue were silent for a few seconds, although for very different reasons. Kitty was just shocked at what she had just heard, while Rogue…..well Rogue was worried about the mansion's best-kept secret coming out. As far as she knew, no one maybe except the Professor knew the truth about Ororo and Logan. She was afraid that motor-mouth Jubilee was going to blow away everything.

"Hey girls," Jubilee repeated herself. "Did you get what I said? Logan and Ororo. They are doing the nasty, rolling in the hay, doing the horizontal mambo, getting down and dirty, eff'ing, making love…having _SEX_."  
"We know what ya mean?" Rogue snapped at her. "No need to shout it frem the roof."  
"Are you sure?" Kitty asked a little surprised and just as much excited. Logan and Ororo, Ororo and Logan. The resident goddess, the woman who defined calm and collected and the resident badass, the man who defined emotional and short-fused. The two of them together. With each other. _WOW_.  
"Of course I am sure," Jubilee looked put off. "When have I ever been wrong?"

"Well, let me see," Rogue held up her hand started counting off fingers. "One, when you said that Piotr was gay. It nearly killed poor Kitty here. Two, Lorna uses dye to color her hair. Three, Rahne gets injections to ward off fleas. Four…."

"Alright, alright," Jubilee pushed her hand down. "I know my sources have been _misguided_ that…those times, but this is hundred percent for sure. I got it straight from the horse's mouth."  
"Horse's mouth?" Kitty's eyes lit up. "You mean Ororo and Logan?"  
"Now its Logan. Where did the 'mister' go?" Jubilee smirked. "No, not from them, but the next best thing – Mr. Scott 'Scooter' Summers. It seems that Ororo and Logan didn't return last night. After the fight they had gone to Cyke and Jean came back in their car, while Ororo took off to places unknown with the sex-in-denim Wolverine."  
"So that doesn't mean thaht they are havin' sex," Rogue whispered the last words.  
"Well Scottie boy thinks so," Jubilee shrugged. "You should see him."

"Come lets go," Rogue jumped off her bed and ran to the door. "As it is we haveta have breakfast."

---

Downstairs, in the Kitchen,

"Scott, please _SIT_ down." Jean said tightly. Her husband had been pacing around the kitchen for the last half hour and before than in their room, and it was giving her a serious headache. "Its not as if Logan is going to magically appear if you do a million room pacings.

"Hmph," Scott harrumphed as he roughly pulled back a chair and flopped down on it.  
"Say something. Scott?" Jean laid a hand on his, trying to get him to open up. "What's your problem?"  
"Problem? PROBLEM?" Scott stared at his wife as if she had grown a second head. "My _problem_ Jean is that over confident, son of a bi….that idiot Logan."  
"So what's new," Jean shook her head at him. She knew the reason for the latest Scott-Logan blowup. Even if they had made peace with her, they still had their moments. And this one was definitely one of them. Just like old times. Too much like old times.  
"Jean, he didn't return home last night," Scott hissed, before lowering his tone. "And neither did…."

"Who didn't return home last night?" both Scott and Jean jumped at the voice from the door.

"_Ororo?"_ Scott leapt from his chair. "You are here?"  
"Yes Scott," the weather goddess seemed taken aback at Cyclops's abrupt reaction to her. "Its me and a very good morning to you too. Morning Jean," she called out as she walked to the coffee machine.  
"Morn-Morning 'Ro," Jean was equally surprised to see Ororo at home and in her night dress. She too had thought that, just as Logan hadn't returned so hadn't Ororo. But now she was here, standing a few feet away from them, looking as if she had just woken up from a good night's sleep.

"What are you doing here?" Scott blurted out. The look on Ororo's face made him want to eat his own words.

"I _live_ here Scott," Ororo arched an eyebrow at him. "At least I did, the last time I checked. Or have you forgotten that?"  
"No Ororo," Jean cut in. "What Scott meant was, is what are you doing here right now. Weren't you with Logan?"  
"Yes," Ororo answered as she slid in the chair opposite her bestfriend. "So?"  
"Well Logan didn't return home last night," Jean explained. "And as both of you were together…."  
"You assumed I didn't either," Ororo completed it for her.

"Yes." Scott answered relieved that Ororo had spent the night at home. Usually he could ask Jean to sense her out, but after yesterday's debacle, both of them were refraining from being too nosy, well they were trying to be. But when Logan was involved, he couldn't just stand by the side and be a silent observer.  
"Well to answer your question," Ororo started as she raised the mug to her lips, relishing the jolt she got from her morning caffeine fix. "Both of us _did_ return to the mansion."  
"But the bike isn't there in the garage," Scott reasoned.

"Yes, I won't be," Ororo nodded her head. "I said both of us returned. I didn't say that both of us stayed and spent the night here. Logan came back and dropped me off just outside the mansion gates. From there I returned on the winds, while Logan left."

---

"_Left?"_ Rogue interrupted. She had caught the last words out of Ororo's mouth as she reached the kitchen. "Where did he go? When is he coming back?"

"Good morning Rogue, Kitty, Jubilee," Ororo greeted them. "Logan didn't leave for long. Just for the night. He wanted to spend some time alone, just riding around, enjoying the night. You know, just being himself. He should be returning soon."  
"Oh," that seemed to relax the southerner. "Thehn its fahne. I thought the big lug just upped and left."  
"Not without telling you," Ororo smiled at her. "Even he wouldn't dare to do that."

In response Rogue gave a sweet smile. It was true. Whenever Logan left on one of his 'trips', he made it a point to tell her about it, just as he had done the first time. It was their brother-sister, uncle-niece…well, family kind of thing. They looked out for each other. Well Logan did more of the looking out. He had promised her that and had made good on it, and was still keeping true to it.

"So you have been in your room the entire night?" Scott ended the other line of conversation.  
"Yes," Ororo answered evenly. "After Logan left me at the gates, I returned to my room. Although I did go to the lake for a late night dip."  
"Oh," was all Scott could say, feeling rather stupid at her blow-up. He was slightly ashamed at the ideas he had been conjuring up in his mind. But seeing Ororo here, without Logan was 'relieving' to say the least.

"Oww," Jubilee's yelp drew their attention. She was sitting next to Rogue and was scowling at her, all the while rubbing her upper arm. Both Rogue and Kitty were snickering at her.  
"What happened Jubilation?" Ororo's question drew her attention. "Is everything alright?"  
"Uhn…yes Ms. Monroe," Jubilee hastily nodded her head. She had just received two solid punches from both girls sitting next to her.

"What was that for?" she hissed under her breath.  
"For spreading false rumors," it was Kitty who answered with Rogue just nodding her head and readying another punch, which Jubilee immediately pushed down.  
"What was I to know," Jubilee excused. "My source….."  
"Yah we know about your _'source'_," Rogue made quotation marks. "Looks like Cyke himself got his ass handed t' him."  
"Well," Kitty mused. "It would have been nice if it was true. Its so…so romantic."

"Kitty," Jubilee rolled her eyes. "You need to get your head out of your romantic novels and into real life to get some action for yourself. Romance has nothing to do with it. Its sex, pure and simple, an itch which you need to scratch once in a while, or in Logan's case, continuously."  
"Jubes. How would ya know?" Rogue admonished her, clearly hinting at Jubilee's virgin status, one which both Kitty and her shared too. "Besides, he's not lahke thaht."

'Whose not like whom?' Scott wondered from the kitchen counter he was standing next to. Knowing Rogue, it must either be Remy or Logan, and from the tone of her voice most probably Logan.

---

Later,

Being a Sunday, the mansion was in complete relaxed mode, with even the Professor wearing a t-shirt and plain trousers, instead of his usually impeccable designer suits.

Most of the students and faculty were enjoying themselves by the swimming pool, with some of them playing in the adjacent basketball and baseball grounds.

"Ororo," Jean came and stood next to the lounging weather goddess.  
"Yes Jean," she raised her glasses and opened her eyes to look up at her redhead friend. "Please have a seat. I don't want to develop a permanent squint."

Relieved at her good mood, Jean decided to make her move. "Ororo. About…."  
"Its alright Jean," Ororo rested a hand on her knee. "I can't say I quite understand the reasons behind it, but I guess its alright. Its just that…well whatever it is. I don't want to ruin our friendship over a single event."  
"Oh 'Ro," Jean reached forward and hugged her tightly. "Thank you so much. I can't tell you how sorry I am. We…I didn't mean to invade your privacy. It was…"  
"Jean," Ororo silenced her. "Logan told me everything you told him. So just, leave it at that. Its a beautiful day, lets just enjoy it."  
"Yes it is," Jean looked up. "All thanks to you. I don't know what Logan did, but it definitely helped to improve your mood."

"That's what I do Jeannie, improve moods."

"_Logan!_" Jean whirled around to find the Canadian standing just behind her, a cloud of cigar smoke swirling around his head. "When did you get here? I didn't sense you."

"That's how its supposed to be," Logan gave one of his patent Wolverine smirks. The ones which caused a chill to run down your spine. "So want me to help improve yer mood too. I do wonders. Ya can ask 'Ro yerself," he winked at the dark beauty, causing a full body blush to run through her.

"Smellin' nice 'Ro," Logan growled his appreciation at her sudden change in scent.

---

"Eww…" Jubilee's high pitched voice cut in. "Dude, I don't know how you get the ladies, because your complements are just way too _EWW!_."

Both Jean and Ororo snickered at the yellow-n-purple clad teenager's comments. She was one of the few people who dared to verbally go up against the Wolverine and managed to get away.

"Whatever kid," Logan dismissed her. Taking off his cowboy hat, he placed it on the table next to Ororo and then proceeded to strip down to his shorts. Giving the ladies a two fingered salute, he walked away towards the swimming pool.

"Oh now I get it how he manages to get all that sex," Jubilee slapped her forehead.

"You do?" Ororo glanced up at her as she reached for Logan's hat and placed it on her head, enjoying its feel and the shade it provided.  
"Yes," Jubilee nodded her head, her eyes stuck at the retreating form. "Just _look_ at him. His body, the way he walks…his ass," she ended causing both of her teachers to choke on their drinks.

"With an ass like that, even my own _grandmother_ would jump him."

-

-

* * *

**_Note:_** Ten chapters. Whew! I should end this now. Thanks for all the appreciation….but don't worry yet. There are still a couple of surprises to come, and a sequel I have in mind. That too, like this, will be light one. After all, with all the angst work I do in my other fics, I need an outlet for the funny stuff too.

Please Review! 


	11. Midday Getaway

**11. Midday Getaway**

**Summary:** Pretty self explanatory title!

* * *

"_With an ass like that, even my own grandmother would jump him."_

"Mmmm…Logan. We can't do this," Ororo moaned. "We can't…..mmmm…."

"Fuck 'Ro, I missed ya…." Logan growled as he moved to ear, licking and nibbling against the soft lobe. "Missed ya…so much."

Snaking one hand between their mashed bodies, he reached up and cupped the underside of one large breast, tweaking its nipple and the sensitive skin around it with his thumb and index finger.

"N….No," Ororo shook her head, half heartedly pushing at the hard chiseled chest of her feral lover, her breathing rapid and shallow, her whole body tingling with the heated arousal coursing through. "We can't."

"Why…." Logan growled back, all the while running his hands along her arms, exciting her even further.

"Wha-what if someone sees us?" Ororo was teetering on losing control, having to bite down on her lower lip to stifle yet another moan from escaping. She knew it would be futile, she was almost at the point of no-return. "What if…."

"No one's gonna see us," Logan mashed his lips against hers to he silence her. "We're in yer room. Even if anyone comes, I'll smell them and then ya can send them away."

"Uhn-Telepaths…." Ororo gasped at the feel of one heavy hand graze the side of her breast, right at that sensitive spot that caused her legs to turn to jello and give out under her. "Ugh…."

"No one is gonna know anything," Logan smirked as he 'won' the point. 'Makin' it difficult fer yerself darlin',' he mused. "Jeannie is not gonna enter yer head, not after the screw up from the other day. As fer Chuck, he probably already knows where ya disappeared to."

_**-SNIKT-**_

"Logan," Ororo instinctively reached for her breasts. "That was one of my _only_ two bikinis."

"I didn't like it," Logan made a mock frown, his claws retracting as his hands reached to push hers away, drawing away the sliced remains with them.

"Didn't like it?" Ororo tried to slap his hands away, while inching closer herself. "I thought it was this bikini that got you to get me inside, away from the others….uhn," she moaned at the feel of naked skin against skin.

"No, I didn't like it," Logan resumed his 'worship', his hands filling with the smooth, soft yet firm globes.. "Showed too much of ya to the others…."

"…and not enough to you," Ororo moaned, arching forward to push more of herself against him.

"Ya know me darlin'. Now these…." The grin was pure Wolverine as Logan gave a _'testing'_ squeeze. "…these I like."

"Just like!" he near about whimpered as Ororo pushed him back and walked away, towards the bed. "Just _LIKE?_"

"Sorry darlin'," drawn by an invisible leash, Logan followed her, taking off his slightly damp jeans, the water from his swim having being absorbed the worn denim. "I love 'em. _Worship_ 'em. Just I do the rest of ya."

Turning around, a sultry smile gracing her face, Ororo sauntered towards him. "That's more like it," her voice dropped down to a barely audible whisper, her own hands snaking down, over his hard body, reaching down to cup his….

"Fuck 'Ro."

----

"Hey any of yah seen Logan?" Rogue asked her roommates, both of whom were floating at the edge of the swimming pool, enjoying a good summertime poolside 'gossip'.

"Yeah, saw him strip to his black undies and jump into the pool," Jubilee piped up, adjusting her purple colored shades.

"Jubilee, he didn't jump," Kitty slapped her shoulder. "He dived into it…and oh, what a dive," she cooed, fanning herself for theatric effect.

"Watch it Kitty," Jubilee pushed her back, splashing water at her face. "You keep on like that and you are going to give Roguey here serious competition for the next election of the Sexy-Logan fan club president."

"_Jubilee!_" shrieked Rogue. "Ahm not the president of any sex-club."

"Yes, she's not," Kitty giggled at their remarks, slipping in one of her own. "She is just the founding member and lifetime chairperson."

"Kitty," Rogue lunged at her, her full body suit preventing any possible skin-to-skin contact. "Ahm gonna get both of ya."

A few feet away,

"It seems like everyone is having fun," Jean smiled at the 'interaction' taking place between the three sirens.

"Hmm…" Scott hummed as he took another sip from his _non_-alcoholic mock tail. "Hey! Where is Ororo?" he turned around to try and catch a sight of their weather manipulating friend.

"She went back inside," Jean answered back. "Said she had some important work."

"What work?" Scott sat up. "What is so important that it has to be done on a Sunday?"

"So says Mr. Twenty-Four Seven work," Jean teased her husband, in return getting a raised eyebrow, albeit one accompanied by a grin. "I think she just wanted to have some time alone….maybe even enjoy a nice long bath."

"Well, she is not going to get to do that today." Scott stood up and started walking away. "And what is with chicks and nice long…..Oww."

"Don't even think about completing that sentence," Jean threatened him, grinning as he rubbed the back of his neck, where she had just struck him telekinetically with her slipper. "A nice long bath," She mused. "As good as sex…even _better_."

---

"Ughn, Logan….," Ororo twisted under the expert roving hands of the Canadian _maestro_. "Please…now."

"Easy darlin'…" Logan crawled over her, his own jean off and thrown somewhere around the room. "We have a lot of time….a lot."

Kissing her deeply on the lips, he started his journey down her chocolate caramel hued body, stopping to nip, lap and caress all the important places, which in his view, was every single inch of 'this' living breathing goddess. _HIS_ living breathing goddess.

Ororo purred as Logan made his way down her neck, over her breasts; down and around her abdomen and bellybutton, finally stopping at reaching her hips. She watched in fascination and anticipation at what he would do next, her legs parting almost by themselves as Logan lay between them, making space to start his worship of her center, its honey sweet heady scent driving him crazier with each passing second.

Ororo felt a finger graze across her swollen nether lips, gasping at the expected but still sudden teasing sensation. In turn, smirking at her reaction, Logan smirked and lunged down to press his face at her sopping mound.

"_Logan._" Ororo reflexively arched up, away from the bed towards Logan's probing mouth, reveling the way his expert lips and tongue make love to her, alternating between gentle laps and full-fledged deep and rough licks.

"Goddess!" Ororo moaned as his fingers joined his tongue, one of them slowly sinking into her depths, penetrating her. "Yesss….Logannnn. Oh Goddesss….."

"Grrrrr…." Logan growled at her entrance, the vibrations sending fresh waves of pleasure through her, her continuously rising arousal overloading his senses, her active participation causing him to grow even harder, his erection starting to ache.

"Logan…." Ororo grabbed at his unruly mane-like hair and pulled him towards her. "Come to me…..I want to taste you too…."

Raising his head from her center, he stared at her with lust-darkened eyes. "Ya sure?"

"Yes," she nodded her head, her hand flailing to pat the bed. "On your back. Now. Please…_now_."

"As the goddess says," Logan growled and turned sideways to rollover along side her and pulled himself to the top of the bed.

"Mmm…" Ororo sat up and climbed over him, placing herself in a mutual oral-satisfaction position.

Twitching slightly, trying his best to contain his jerks, Logan stopped mid-action, his body tensing instantly.

"GRRRR…." Even through her arousal induced haze, Ororo instantly knew what that meant, the point being driven home at the way Logan tightened his grip on her, his thick fingers pressing into the soft skin of her hips.

"Who is it?" she whispered, her exhaled breath caressing against his throbbing hardness.

"One-Eye," Logan returned as he sat up, helping Ororo to do the same, his hands still not leaving her, moving from her hips to possessively circle at her waist.

Not five seconds later, a knock at the door.

----

"Wh-Who is it?" Ororo cleared her throat, schooling her tone as she tried to balance her breathing and disguise her aroused state.

"Ororo." Cyclops answered from the other side. "Its _me_. Scott."

"Scott. How can I help you?" Ororo returned back, slapping Logan's playful hand away. Changing her position, she knelt perpendicular to him and reached and circled her slender chocolate colored fingers around his silk-on-steel hardness. She was thankful that Logan remembered to lock the door….this time. Usually it was her who had to take all the precautions.

"Grr…ummph," Logan's involuntary growl was muffled as a pillow landed on face, pressing down on it.

"Uh-umm…." Scott hesitated, as the door didn't open, even on his turning the knob. Ororo had her door locked. 'Must be really busy,' he thought knowing that Ororo very rarely locked her room door, both when she was in the room and out. "Oh nothing. I just came to ask you to come and join us. Its such a nice sunny day. What are you doing sitting inside?"

"Not gonna be sunny fer much longe…mmph," the pillow was pushed once again on Logan's mouth as Ororo spoke to Scott.

"Sorry Scott, but you caught me at a bad time. I was just going to take a…."

"A nice warm bath," Scott parroted what Jean had told him. "Uh…ok. See you later. Enjoy yourself."

"Oh, I already am," Ororo lowered her mouth to Logan's, her hand placed in firm grip about three feet lower.

"Hey, just one more question," this time even she groaned at Scott's interruption. "Do you know where Logan is? He just upped and disappeared."

"Logan is right here with me," Ororo answered with a giggle, her tone teasing, causing Logan to thrust into the circle of her fingers and Scott to chuckle at the door. "Scott, how would I know where Logan is?"

"I guess so," Scott nodded his head. "Maybe he went back into the city to get drunk and laid."

Logan threw away the pillow, ready to launch himself at the door and at _Punk-'clops_ standing on the other side. However, Ororo's pout and her next words relaxed him immediately.

"You can bet on the second one," although her words were spoken to Scott, her eyes were stuck on her lover's face. "He is insatiable. A real _horn-dog_. Scott choked at Ororo's words. 'Whatever she was doing or going to do was really relaxing her,' he thought at the words she had just spoken out aloud. "Uh…see you at dinner." He practically sprinted down the corridor.

---

"Hmmm…" Ororo reached down once again, her other hand, rubbing over the rock hard abdominal muscles.

"Horn-dog, huh?" Logan grasped at her hair and gently pulled her up to meet her eyes with his. "Insatiable?"

"Did I say anything wrong?" Ororo gave a mock sorry look.

"Darlin', truer words have never been spoken," Logan smirked at her. Pushing himself to a seated position, he pulled Ororo to him, her soft swollen lips mashing against his.

"_Hey!_" Ororo cried out as Logan stood up, lifting her up with him. "Where are you taking me?"

"Ya said ya wanted a nice long bath," Logan kissed her silken hair. "So we are going ta the bathroom, fer yer bath."

"But what about…." She gestured towards the bed, a slightly confused yet mischievous smile dancing on her lips.

"Oh, that," Logan's smile mirrored hers. "That….is before the bath."

"Oh…" her eyes trailed to the bathroom. "In there. _Again_?"

"Again."

----

"Logan," Ororo looked up and slightly behind her. Both of them were resting after their love-making, enjoying the feel of the now lukewarm water around them. Logan was sitting along one edge, with Ororo sitting with her head on his chest.

"Hmm…." He responded and smiled at her.

"When do you want to tell the others?" she asked, her voice showing a little hesitation. Until now, they had been private about their love and its subsequent results. _Results_, which both expectant parents were very proud off.

"Whenever ya want," Logan answered easily.

"_Logan_. I am not joking," Ororo furrowed her brows, her smile faltering. "Tell me the truth. I know you value your privacy and….."

"Darlin'," Logan placed a finger on her lips, silencing her. "I have been ready since the first day. I was just waitin' fer ya to catch up."

An invisible weight lifted off her shoulder, Ororo sat up further.

"Really?" she smiled, brighter, more confident. "So if I say….tonight at dinner. Then what?"

"Hmm." Logan mused as if checking his time schedule. "'Can do that," he lowered his head for a deep kiss, enjoying the languid warmth within and around them. "Hell if ya want, I'll even cry it out frem the rooftop."

"No, that won't be needed," Ororo turned around to lie face front of his chest. "Although I am sure that that will give Scott an even stronger shock than the one he's already going to get."

"That's the best thing about it," Logan grinned at her.

"_Lo-gan!_" Ororo lightly punched against his chest. "That's not funny," she scolded half heartedly.

"It isn't?" An arched eyebrow questioned her.

"No," Ororo looked down and shook her head, a smile playing on her lips. "Ok, maybe it's a little funny. But not much. Just a little."

"Sure darlin'," Logan lifted her chin up at him. "Whatever ya say."

---

A few minutes later,

"What?" Ororo noticed the change in Logan's facial expression.

"Just makin' a call," he calmed her down. "We need ta make sure that everyone is there fer dinner."

_Chuck. Hey CHUCK. You there?_ he projected, rather loudly.

_Yes Logan._ Xavier's calm tone answered back.

_Wanta make a reservation._

_Reservation?_ The Professor sounded confused for a moment. _Oh, a reservation. That reservation_

_Yeah. THAT reservation. Tonight… Dinner._

_I'll see that everyone is there. And Ororo…_

_Yes Professor._ Ororo entered the conversation.

_I would like to be the first one to 'officially' congratulate you._

_Thank you Professor._ Ororo smiled, both physically as well as psychically.

_Yeah, thanks Chuc…uh, Professor._ Logan corrected himself.

_Hmmm. Professor!_ Xavier chuckled. _Nice to finally hear it from you._

_Yeah, well, don't make it a habit. _

"That's our call and our reservation," Logan lifted Ororo by her shoulders, hugging her tightly.

"Yes," Ororo laid her head on his shoulder. "Tonight's the night."

"Yeah," Logan answered her statement.

"_Tonight's the night."_

-

-

* * *

**_Note:_** Just about reaching the end of this story…but not this RoLo. Have started working on its 'prequel' and also have a few plans for a follow up. Hope they work out as well and get as much reader appreciation as this one has.

Please note that this chapter has been modified from the original. The changes were necessary to keep it within the rating limitations.

Please Review!


	12. Secret’s Out

**12. Secret's Out**

**Author: **Batman.Wolverine  
**Summary:** The truth finally comes out...along with something else!

* * *

The mansion was abuzz with speculation,

"What do you think the Professor's announcement is going to be about?" Jubilee asked out aloud to both of her cell…ahem, roommates, Kitty and Rogue.

"What do ah know?" Rogue answered sarcastically, and a bit too fast. She hoped that whatever it was, it would be about Ororo and Logan. She knew that they had been planning on a _coming out_ and today seemed like the perfect day to do so.

"Who said _you_ know something? You never knowing anything interesting." Jubilee snapped back. "I was just wondering. As you know my gossip-radar doesn't seem to be working properly. The latest one, that about the Ororo and Logan 'thing'," she stressed with double quotes, "lucky for me I didn't get shit-in-tha-face for that. If Logan had found out, he would surely have made Jube-shish-kakob of me."

"Do you think the teachers have any idea?" Always...well, usually the voice of reason, Kitty brought up a valid point.

"I don't know….at least I don't think so," Jubilee answered. "The Professor's projection, it was a _'public'_ one, to all students and teachers."

"Hmm…" mused Kitty. "Then what?"

"Why are th' both of yah so worried?" Rogue flipped her hand. "We'll come ta know in th' eveninh."

"Chica, you have been here for almost three years now and still you haven't learnt the real truth behind all our efforts," Jubilee patted her back. "Its not the thing we gossip about. That's not important. What's important is the effort put behind getting it. The joy of the hunt if you will. After all, just like Wolverine, we too are hunters, the only difference between us that is that we just hunt for information and gossip, unlike your Wolverine, who hunts for anything and everything."

"Why do ya always bring Logan into everythin' ah tahlk about?" Rogue frowned, her eyes narrow in annoyance. "If its not Logan then its Remy."

"Because that is the easiest way of making you understand something child," Kitty said in her best Ororo imitation.

"_Whatevah."_

---

"So, what do you think the Prof is going to talk about?" Bobby asked of Piotr and Kurt.

"No idea," answered Piotr in his gentle but heavily accented voice. In spite of being the tallest and largest mutant at the institute, he will still very reserved, very calm…almost shy and liked nothing more than to lay back and immerse himself into a good book or practice his art.

"Ve should ask Jean or Scott," Kurt offered, his yellow eyes and shiny white teeth greatly contrasting against his indigo colored skin.

"No way man," Bobby shot him down. "Like they are going to tell us. You know how secretive both of them get whenever the Professor has to make any new announcement."

"Then how about Hank or Ororo?" Piotr offered. "Or maybe Wolverine?"

"NoNo, not Wolverine either," Bobby shook his head. "And not Hank. Nothing to be gained there. He is always busy with some experiment or the other. He probably doesn't even know."

"Then Ororo?" Kurt offered, repeating Piotr's words.

"I don't think so, she seems to be busy in her greenhouse," Bobby ruefully looked in the direction of the large glass enclosure. "And you know how she doesn't like to be disturbed when she is there."

"Yes," Kurt hung his head. "Guess we have to vait until the evening."

"You guess right Tovarish."

---

"Jean, do you know what the sudden announcement is about?" Scott Summers turned to his wife as they walked towards their room.

"No Scott," the redhead shook her head. "But whatever it is, it must be really important. He even sent a second thought projection to faculty to not to entertain any questions from the students regarding this announcement."

"Yeah, like any of the faculty knows anything," Scott smirked not knowing about the set of ears trailing them. Having dumped her friends for some much needed emergency _reconnaissance_, Jubilee was trying to glean any information she could.

"Just a minute Scott," Jean laid a hand a hand to silence him.

_Jubilee, what are you doing?_ she projected to the Chinese American girl.

_Oh. Who? Me?_ Jubilee tried to appear innocent, failing as her thoughts gave her away.

_I know what are you looking for_ Jean smiled in her thoughts. _But let me put that particular line of thought of yours to rest. None of the teachers know anything_

_Hmph._ Jubilee pouted. _Thank you Mrs. Summers._

_You are welcome._ Jean withdrew her thoughts.

---

Inside Charles Xavier's plush office,

"Do you think anyone suspects anything? Or knows the truth?" The blue furred mutant known as Beast asked of his mentor.

"Henry, I _KNOW_ that no one knows the truth or even suspects it," Xavier smiled an enigmatic smile. "Although there are very many speculations, none are even, how they say…none are even in the ballpark."

"Good," Beast flashed his fangs. "What about Jean? Surely she must be able to sense Ororo's or Logan's thoughts?"

"She might have been able to read Ororo's thoughts," Xavier nodded, his mind going back to the events of the previous day. "But she is not reading them nowadays. In fact she is making a conscious attempt to block them out. As for reading Logan's thoughts. His mental shields are quite strong and effective and he is very adept in using them. Its another legacy of elusive past."

"So there is no way, they can know about it?" Beast grinned in glee.

"I don't think so," Xavier agreed with him. "Not unless they can access either of our minds."

Flashing another smile at Xavier's comment, Henry let out a chuckle. "And that is an even more difficult proposition, specially after you helped me beef up my own mental shields. As you eavesdropping on your thoughts, I don't think even Jean will dare intrude upon them."

"I don't think so," Charles nodded his head.

"Anyways, its just a few more hours."

---

Evening at the Xavier Mansion,

"Man everyone seems all dressed up," Bobby spoke to the tall auburn haired man standing next to him. "Even you Gambit."

"Remy dress smart all da time," the Cajun charmer flashed his standard heartbreaker smile. "The ladies love 'im for dat."

"Watch it mein friend," Kurt spoke as he walked towards them, himself dressed in one of his few white shirts and black cotton trousers. "I don't want Rogue to beat you to a pulp."

"Or better yet," Bobby added. "Wolverine."

"Da Wolverine know dat Remy's heart only beat for Rogue," Gambit proclaimed, a little louder than normal, his eyes darting around the room for any chance that Rogue's personal body-and-honor guard was prowling around.

"Yes, he may know that," Bobby nodded his head, a grin coming over his face. "But he also knows that you are a A-grade flirt. You have just now stepped up from his 'to gut' list to his 'not to gut' list. So, take my advice and don't play around."

"Uh-huh," Remy just nodded his head, waiting for his girlfriend to come and save him from any possible Canadian style slice-an'-dice action.

---

Soon (About fifteen minutes later),

"Professor, looks like everyone is here," Scott turned Xavier. "I think we can begin."

"Lets wait a few more minutes," Xavier had a smirk on his face, one that unnerved both Scott and Jean. "We are still missing one team member," he gestured to the empty seat besides Ororo.

"I don't think he is going to come Professor," the X-Men's leader shook his head. "You know about Logan and public gatherings. They mix as well as oil and water. I am sure he has something more important to take care off."

"Like going to the city to get drunk and laid," Logan's gruff voice from just behind him caused Scott to whip around, also capturing the attention of everyone present in the room. "That's what you said, this afternoon, didn't ya…One-Eye."

"How? Uh…." Scott's eyes jumped from Logan to a smirking Ororo and then back to Logan again. This wasn't a good thing. "Well its not like I said anything wrong," he muttered under his breath.

"No you didn't." Logan caught his words and tossed them back at him. Stepping closer to him, he bent down and whispered just loud enough for him and for Jean and Ororo seated on either side, his words causing not only the both women but also Scott to turn flush red. "But I got my lay fer the day already done. Now just lookin' fer the night."

_Logan, if you will take your seat, we can start. Ororo has been waiting for you. _Xavier informed him.

_Sure thing Chu….Professor._ Logan frowned at his almost slip. He wanted to stay on the straight and narrow, if only (and specially) for tonight. He knew it meant a lot to Ororo. Hell, it meant the world to him…._She_ meant the world to him.

Occupying the empty chair next to his weather goddess, he snaked his hand through hers and gently squeezed it under the table, enjoying the calming effect of her scent, her physical feel, of everything her.

---

"Attention everyone," Xavier's baritone voice boomed across the dinner table. As soon as everyone was giving their complete attention to him, Charles raised a hand to Ororo.

_All yours._ His projection was to both Ororo and Logan.

Pushing back her chair, Ororo stood up slowly, her hand resting on Logan's shoulder. They had decided that she would be the one to get the ball rolling, with Logan joining later…once the questions and comments, all of which they were sure to get, starting coming in.

Clearing her throat, she looked around her family and friends. "I…_We_…I would like to thank you all of you for coming here tonight. I have an announcement to make….."

"I…uh…." she looked down, her hands fumbling with the forks. Logan's laying a supportive hand on her hers, instantly bolstered her confidence.

"I am pregnant."

A few seconds of silence and then, _"WHAT?"_ the cry rose from many places along the table, the rest too stupefied to say anything or react in any other way. None of them had known that the resident goddess was _'seeing'_ anyone, leave alone with child.

"Uh-Umm…Ororo," Jean raised hand drew Ororo's attention to her. "We didn't know you were seeing anyone outside the mansion."

"I am _not_," was the confident answer.

"Oh...Okay," Scott answered for Jean, his brain turning to guess Ororo's mystery lover. Looking at the various table occupants, he tried to guess who could it be. The students were immediately eliminated. That left Remy, Kurt, Henry, the…ugh, Professor and….double ugh, Logan.

"So who be the pere of your babe cherie," Remy grinned at her, adding a wink to fluster her. "Or that be a secret for another Sunday?"

"No secret there Gumbo," Logan's rising form silenced him and the rest of the whisper-gossiping students immediately.

"Everyone," Ororo smiled and gestured towards Logan. "The father of my children."

--

"_Children!"_ Jean squeaked aloud, grabbing at Scott for support.

"Yup, children," Logan waggled his eyebrows. "Two of 'em," two fingers rising up to do the same. "Remember I told ya." He winked at Jean.

"Come one Cyke," not only to let a chance go, Logan urged Scott. "I know ya wanta say somethin'. So spill it."

"Ororo, are you sure?" Scott's question and soft tone, gained a threatening growl from Logan and a frown from Ororo.

"Of course I am _sure_ Scott," Ororo unsuccessfully tried to contain her 'hormonal' anger. "How can you even suggest that?"

"No. Its not, what I….I, what I meant was," Scott turned to Jean for help. "I mean, I know you must have done the self tests, but maybe you should have a doctor check and confirm it," he added hopefully, his mind still not able to process the sudden news. Ororo and Logan? Of all the possible 'suitors'…._Logan!_

"A doctor did check and confirm it," Beast's words surprised him and more importantly Jean even further.

"_Henry!_ You knew?" Jean exclaimed, feeling confused, surprised, miffed and happy, all that and more, and all at the same time.

"Yes Jean." Henry nodded his head. "Ororo came to me about two months ago. After I confirmed it, she made me promise her that I would keep it a secret."

--

"So what now?" Scott's question was aimed at Logan, his jaw still tight.

"What?" Logan merely put on that infernal lopsided yet smug grin of his. "Now we wait fer the rugrats to come."

"That's not what I meant," Scott scowled. He knew Logan perfectly understood him, but the bastard was still playing around as if nothing had changed. "I meant about you and Ororo."

"Yeah, what about us?" Logan's gaze narrowed.

"Logan," Jean cut in to handle the situation. Scott and Logan's traditional and long standing teasing and bickering was legendary and seemingly never ending. "What Scott meant was what are your plans for the future? Are you two going to marry? Stay single? Common-law partners?"

"Nah," Logan flipped the suggestion away, his one hand snaking around Ororo's waist, the other balling in front of Cyclops, almost as if to let his claws out. "No need fer that….already done and dealt with."

"Me and 'Ro, we're done with it."

A collective gasp sounded throughout the room. Even Scott and Jean's mouths fell open at the gold band on Logan's ring finger, its partner glinting on Ororo.

"A month ago, today….We got hitched."

-

-

* * *

**Note:** I know that quite a few of the readers had guessed about this. Thanks for not letting the cat out of the bag. 

One more chapter left in this story….for now. I do have a follow-up (or depending on how you see it, a prequel) planned and in progress. Hopefully everyone who read and enjoyed this fic. will do the same for that too. And who knows, once that is done, I may even extend this fic. or do another one to complete the trilogy.

Also, one more thing. A lot of my work literally oozes angst. But for this fic. (and others related to this), I've deliberately tried to keep the mood light and the angst-fest to a bare minimum. Hope everyone liked it. Please review and let me know.

BW

-

Also, updated 'Yesterdays & Tomorrows'. Please R&R that too.


	13. Epilogue

**13. Epilogue**

**Summary:** To explain the secret...and set the grounds for the upcoming sequel!

* * *

"_We got married…..a month ago, today"_

For the next few seconds the whole table was silent, dumbstruck by the left-right hook and center knockout punch that Ororo and Logan had just delivered. The first one being that Ororo was pregnant. _Pregnant_….with a capital 'P'. The resident mother goddess was going to become an actual mother within months….well she was already one in many ways, depending on where you stand on the whole definition of life issue.

The second and more startling news was, the father of the children. _Children!_ Meaning more than one. That was big news in itself, but even that paled in front of the one about Logan, the one more notoriously known as the Wolverine, being the father and _accepting_ it. Hell, if the wide and unnerving grin on his face was anything to go by, he was practically turning cartwheels on the inside and ready to do them on the outside.

If those two weren't big enough in themselves, Wolverine literally shoved his fist in Cyclops' face, not to punch his lights out, but to blow away him and his ability to think, with the wedding ring he was sporting. The partner of which was resting proudly on his _'wife's'_ ring finger. Now there was a couple that could only have been conjured in heaven or hell…depending on….fuck it. No one could even think of putting the two of them together. Not at the first sight at least.

A loud shriek and ear piercing whistle was what that finally breached the wall of silence, all courtesy of the mall brigade, Jubilee, Kitty and Rogue. Each happy for the new couple and for themselves too.

Rogue was happy that Logan and Ororo finally came out and that would let her relax now. Kitty was happy because she looked up to Ororo as a surrogate mother and her marriage and pregnancy were events worth rejoicing and celebrating. As for Jubilee, she could give a whole list of things she was happy about….her intel on the Logan-Ororo 'scandal' was correct after all, there would a big party now and who enjoyed a party more than resident party animal, Jubilee PAFF Lee, thank you very much. And most importantly, a party meant clothes…new clothes….new clothes which would be got from the MALL. Whoo Hoo!….can life get any better?

--

"Muh-Ma-Mar…Married?" Jean finally managed to shake the stupefying haze from her mind and form words. "One month?"

"Yes," Ororo answered with a shy smile with a hint of pride peeking through it. As for her other, her _wilder_ half, Logan was all pride. He was proud of his achievement and more than that, he was proud of his wife and that she loved him. When he first came to the mansion, he would never have thought that his life would change so much, and that too in such a short period.

Suddenly, just out of nowhere, the couple got stormed…_literally_, with everyone trying to hug Ororo and shake Logan's hand and maybe even _pat_ him on the back. Even Scott gave the couple his congratulations. Although he would be the first one to admit that he wouldn't have ever thought of putting the weather goddess and the hair-trigger feral as a couple, he was happy for both of them. They seemed happy with each other, they were going to become parents and they had even got married. That being said, he set a mental reminder to give Logan a pep talk of what to expect in a married life and especially what would happen if he hurt Ororo in any way or form.

---

"So you hid it from all of us…from _me_." Jean pouted a little once they had settled down, the dinner almost forgotten. "And lied to us," she shot daggers at her best friend's husband.

"_What!"_ Logan shrugged. "I didn't lie. Ya asked about our kids and I told you about our kids."

"Some kids." Scott interjected. "You lied to us and _hit_ me. Jean heard Ororo tell you that you need to help with the kids."

"Yeah, so?" Logan narrowed his eyes.

"That means you lied," Scott declared with conviction.

"Scott, Logan did not lie," Ororo stepped in for her husband. "He told you the truth under the circumstances."

"Yeah, sure," Scott's frown relaxed as he smiled and shook his head. "You _will_ take his side now."

"What do you mean circumstances?" Jean picked up on Ororo's words.

"I mean, what you _heard_ was exactly what I was talking to Logan about and what he told and showed you," Ororo explained. "The two plants were our first children. We made a deal, in which Logan imported the plants and paid for their care and I took care of them. That was our deal and those were the kids I was talking to him about."

"Oh," Jean nodded her head, a smile starting on her lips. "But now you changed the deal."

"Yup," answered Ororo. "Now he has to help me with taking care of them too."

"Hmph," was all Logan said, eliciting giggles and laughs from all around the table.

"I'll make it up to you dearest," Ororo whispered in his ear, her hand gently caress his denim covered thigh.

"Hmm…" Logan relented, his own hand coming to rest over hers and gently squeezing it. "'can hardly wait."

--

"So where did you guys get married?" Jubilee piped up.

"The city court," Ororo smiled at her.

"City court? But don't you need like witnesses or something for that?" the teenager shot back.

"Yup, an' we got ourselves not two but three of those," Logan cut in.

"_Three!"_ Jubilee echoed as she turned her head, her eyes narrowing at Rogue. "I bet I know one of those three."

"Oww," it was Rogue's turn to yelp as Jubilee pinched her through her covered upper arm. "What was thaht foh?"

"Foh not telling us thaht ya knew," Jubilee crooned in a mimicked southern accent.

"Jubilee. Please don't blame Rogue," Ororo calmed her. "We made her promise that she wouldn't tell."

"Yeah, yeah, I know," answered Jubilee with mock hurt. "Logan must have done it. And I bet she didn't even tell her boyfriend."

"Remy already know," Gambit's black-red eyes flashed bright. "Stormy tell him, an' he be the second witness."

"_WHAT!"_

Remy grinned at Jubilee. "Stormy be Remy's padnat. How can she get married without tellin' 'im?"

"You too," Scott scrunched his face. "So who was the third one? The Professor?"

"Yes Scott," Charles answered calmly. "I am the third guilty party and I must say I was honored when both Logan and Ororo approached me."

"So you knew all about this?" Jean turned to Charles. "Both you and Henry."

"Yes," Xavier nodded. "Henry knew before me, given the fact he was the second person to know about Ororo's pregnancy."

"He was the third," Logan corrected him. "He knew after Ororo."

"And who was the first?" Henry seemed intrigued.

"Me," Logan tapped his nose. "I knew it before her. I just waited fer her ta find out and let me know about it. I was afraid of how she would feel about havin' a kid with me, let alone two, at one time."

"And I was afraid of his reaction to becoming a father," Ororo expressed her own fearful misgivings.

"But everything seems to have worked out," Scott pointed at their rings. "Or are there some problems still lingering?"

"Nah," Logan flipped his hand. "Just one. I need to get my stuff to her room. Its bigger and there's enough space up there to make two smaller rooms fer the kids."

"That shouldn't be a problem," Charles spoke evenly. "I am sure everyone will be more than happy to assist you in this venture. We are all family here."

That comment gained yeahs and yups from everyone at the table.

----

Later, after dinner

"Ororo," Jean turned to her newly married friend.

"Yes Jean," she looked up from the dishes she was setting in the washer.

"Have you and Logan thought of having a public ceremony? I mean one with dress and the tuxedo."

"We have thought about it," Ororo nodded in affirmation. "He has left it up to me. He says that he doesn't believe in any specific god. Well his actual words were that he has his own _personal_ goddess now and he doesn't care about any other gods or goddesses. As for me, I still haven't decided what to about it."

"What is there to do," Jubilee piped up as she tumbled in through the door. The three musketeers, Kitty, Rogue and her, they had been eavesdropping on the conversation and decided to put in their two cents. "We have to have the whole walking down the aisle stuff and more importantly the new clothes."

"Yes, Ms. Monroe," Kitty nodded her head. "Oh, can't call you that now, can we?"

"No, you dumbo," Rogue smacked her shoulder. "She will now be Mrs. Howlett. Thaht's Logan's family name, even if he don't use it."

Both Ororo and Jean just shook their heads, smiling at the high spirited conversation of the three Logan-Ororo fans.

"Ororo," Jubilee finally broke away from her roommates and came to the kitchen counter. "I do have one very important question."

"Yes Jubilee," Ororo continued with her work, knowing fully well what that question was going to be. She had been waiting for it.

"How in the hell did the two of you get together?" The teenager's question was blunt and entirely guileless. "And not only that. How did you manage to keep it a secret from everyone else?"

"It all started the time we came back from Alkali Lake," Ororo finally walked towards her.

"And…."

"And…." Ororo continued walking away. Reaching the kitchen door, she turned to face her expectant teammates. "That is a secret….."

"….for another Sunday."

-

-

* * *

**Note:** I had worked on this fic quite some time ago. The version I posted here (on this site) is a revised version. 

The follow-up story, the one of how they got together, is already under the works. Have about four chapters already done. Will be posting them soon under the title, 'The Story'. Although that fic. will be written as an independent one and in 'real time' i.e. not necessarily a flashback, there might be some references from that, if and when I add something to this first one.

There is however, one more chapter left (yeah, even though this one is titled 'Epilogue'), one that I wrote specially while revising for my post on That one will lead directly into **_'Secret 2 - The Story'_**.

Also, check out my other light and _'cute'_ RoLo story, 'Once Upon A Time...'

Please Review!


	14. Epi Prologue

**14. Epi-Prologue**

**Summary:** Take this as a second epilogue or just the prologue for 'The Story'.

* * *

"Hmm. This is the life….umm…." 

Stretching out like the proverbial lion, his back arched off the bed, taut as a bow, the feral mutant known as Wolverine, Logan to those around him, tilted mid-air, cracking his metal encased bones both this way and that. Letting himself go he fell back onto the soft yet firm mattress with an audible thump, completing his earlier comment.

"Yeah…sure is."

Lying beside him, on her side, was the woman who not only did he love and who loved him back just as much, but also who had given him the one thing he had always lacked in his life, a family. That she had agreed to marry him, and then actually did it, would have been enough for him, but that she was also going to become a mother, mother of _his_ kids, was something he had never even dreamt about…not even in his wildest, happiest dreams, no matter how few they had been.

That things didn't happen exactly in that order, meaning, they came to know about her pregnancy first and then tied the knot, and then decided to tell their friends and family about the pregnancy and last of all about the marriage, none of that mattered to him….nor to her.

All that mattered was that the truth was finally out, and that now they didn't have to sleep in separate rooms…or at least make a show of it, on the few days they actually did so.

"You see happy this morning," Chuckling at her husband's antics and rising as he leaned in to pull her up on his chest, she couldn't stop herself, she just had to tease him. "What happened? Had an interesting night?"

Looking up at her smiling face, Logan took the time to just gaze at her, admire her. Her fresh mountainous waterfall like hair curtaining on either side of, the light through the open windows gave her an ethereal glow, one that only accentuated to her natural radiance and the _'other' _one that she had just started to show…that of motherhood.

"Yeah, real interesting," he replied. Reaching up to tuck a few errant strands of hair behind her ear, letting her fingers linger there before trailing them down her jaw line, and then up to her rose petals like lips, which parted to his caress. "A real lightning rod."

"_Lightning rod!"_ A snowy eyebrow cocked in amused query.

"Yeah. Made me see stars…and then some," the last word barely out of his mouth, his pulled down the said 'lightning rod', mashing his lips against hers his tongue probing and twining with hers.

"Hmm." Ororo sighed as they finally broke away, her entire body flush from just one kiss. "You are right. This is…the….Umph."

It took Logan a second to realize what had just happened. One second he was ensconced in the warm left, totally at peace with the goddess above him…and the next, she was gone.

"Oh, yeah," he grunted as he pushed himself up, sitting up to follow her to the bathroom. "This is the life…._real_ life."

---

"Your sure you don't want any?" A worried frown marring his handsome weathered features, leaning in slightly, Logan offered a helping of his rather substantial breakfast to his wife.

One look at the plate or more likely at the six waffles stacked above one another, all of them literally drowning in maple syrup, the two scrambled eggs on one side, two sausages on the other and the two hash browns holding on for dear life, and all a rather green looking Ororo could do was shake her head vigorously, turning away and trying her level best not to throw up again…for the third time this morning.

'Bright lady.' She _cursed_. 'Why did you have to give me control over the elements as a mutant power. Why couldn't you give me something useful, like the power of no morning sickness during pregnancy. I could sure use it right now.'

Almost as if hearing her mental prayer, the ever benevolent Goddess answered and sent an angel…just not the right one. Instead of the Angel of Healing, she sent over the wayward one, the _Angel of Shopping_, Jubilation Lee.

"Hey Wolvie. Hey 'Ro." As ever on a spirited high, Jubilee greeted both her teachers and settled down upon the empty chair besides Ororo, setting her industrial size bowl of various cereals mixed together.

Already turning her head away from the multicolored mix, Ororo near about lost it when Jubilee grabbed the mild cartoons, pouring both chocolate and strawberry flavored milk reveling in the fizzing, snapping, popping and various other sounds coming from her breakfast.

And if that wasn't enough, the following conversation hammered the final nail into the coffin of morning sickness induced vomiting.

"Man, you won't believe what happened yesterday. Whole you two were busy setting up, our Roguey, she had such a bad hangover…"

"What d'ya mean hangover?" Logan raised his head from his breakfast, looking not quite threatening, especially not with a spoon in his mouth and a sausage held midair, skewered through three very sharp claws.

"Oh….that we," Jubilee blurted out the first thing that came to her mind, or rather dumped the blame on the first person. "It was all Remy's idea. He wanted to celebrate Storm and your wedding and also her pregnancy. Anyways," she carried out, her next words causing Ororo to flee. "Roguey got one Vodka tonic too many (didn't have Gin), and by that I mean all Vodka and _absolutely_ no tonic. You should have seen the girl go. She was ready to stri…uh, dance. Anyways, as soon as it blew over, so did she….not only vodka but also dinner, even the appeartiz…"

She was never able to complete her sentence as pushing both her Logan out of the way, Ororo made an Olympic level, barely making it to the sink, the sounds of her retching her empty stomach out causing both Logan and Jubilee too wince, their own appetites taking wings and flying away…

…right back to that accursed _Goddess_.

---

A little more than an hour later,

"How do you feel?" Using her fingers to comb back the silvery tresses of the mother to be, Jean Grey-Summers let the doctor slip away from her tone, falling back on the best-friend voice.

"Better," smacking her lips, a failed effort in trying to remove the bitter taste, Ororo sat up slowly, accepting her redheaded friend's offered hand for support.

"Good." Flashing a friendly smile, Jean picked up the print outs, handing one copy to Ororo. The other would do in the file that Henry had almost set-up (and had hidden from her). "And even your vitals agree with me. Perfect…completely undeserving of Logan's reactions."

'Underserving!' Even Ororo broke into giggles at that, remembering how Logan had been shooed out of the infirmary, threatened by not one but two very pissed off X-Women. Her because she just wanted the tests to be over so that both he and her could relax and Jean because the continuing 'back-seat' doctoring was getting to her, the final straw being when Logan unleashed his claws and skewered her stethoscope. Thankfully, for Jean, the device had been on the bedside trolley and not around her neck.

'GET OUT!' Jean had practically yelled her command, with Ororo putting in her own two words…or just one. _'NOW!'_

Shocked rather than angry or disappointed, Logan had stomped out of the infirmary, muttering something about 'Broads', 'Goddess', 'Hormones' and last but not the least, 'Scooter' and _'Pay'_.

"I should go now," Ororo pushed herself off the flat bed. "Its almost eleven and I still haven't had a bath."

"Want me to find Logan?" Offered Jean. "If nothing else, I can check if he is still on the mansion grounds."

"No need for that," shaking her head, Ororo slipped out of the green hospital gown and started to don her clothes, the ones from her previous night's sleep. "I think I know where he will be."

"Ororo…" Jean started, only to be stopped by the Weather Witch.

"I know it Jean," already heading towards the door she tossed over her back. "Try to abstain from excessive power use…_doctor's_ orders."

Minutes later, she exited the elevators, having used the teachers' code to take it up all the way to the roof.

And as she had suspected, there sat her sulking spouse, puffing away on a trusty cigar, an almost empty bottle of beer dangling from his fingers.

---

Finally,

With lunch over, the boys had dispersed, all thanks to Scott's orders…or rather Jean's.

"Coming through." Jubilee's slim form appeared through the recreation room door, her arms practically overflowing with popcorn, chips, cookies and other whatnots. Close behind her came Kitty, her slim shoulders dropping at her having been turned into the _drinks_-mule.

Setting everything down and explaining it all away as 'mid-movie' snacks, the girls flopped down on their _reserved_ places, ready…not for a movie for something more interesting.

Present in the room, apart from the _terrific_-trio, namely Jubilee, Rogue and Kitty, Jean, Lorna, Siryn, Betsy, Dani, Rahne (the youngest of the group), Jean and of course, the center of attention, Ororo.

"Ahem…_everyone_," the MC and main mind behind the _'planned'_ ladies only gathering, Jubilee stood up to address everyone. "Okay, now that everyone is here, lets get to the viewing…uh, narration of _'How the Grouch stole the Goddess'_."

"_Jubilee!"_ Jean exclamation even as laughter broke out around her. Hoping to control her own chortles, she finally lost at the gaping look on the Goddess in question's face.

"Nah, nah, its not thaht," Rogue leapt in with her own title. "Its more lahke a fahry tale. Kinda like the _'Beauty and the Wolverine'_.

"Hey, how about _'Dances with Wolverines'_," someone else suggested.

Not to be shown up by these new upstarts, Jubilee decided to show, once and for all, who was the name naming king…uh, queen of the X. Dumping movie names, she went in for a musical route.

"How about a 'The Doors' song…just modified," she near about yelled. _"Rider of the Storm."_

"Oooh…" still not unable to control herself, Jean winced at the way Ororo slapped her hands in front of her face.

_Too close for comfort?_ She projected to her embarrassed friend, getting a rather Wolverin-esque growl in return.

"Sit down everyone." As much as she was enjoying herself, Jean realized that if they wanted to hear all about this secret that had transpired under their very noses, she would have to be the adult. "I am sure we can come up with many more names. But that is not what we are here for. So, lets take out seats…and as for the name to this tale, lets keep it simple."

"The Story"

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**Note:** For posting this fic (or rather this part) on I started revising the NC-17 rated chapters and ended up doing so for the whole story. Have updated them elsewhere too (both on the RoLo Realm and also on my site). 

This chapter, came up during that and while the 'The Story' is an independent tale, there might come a point (towards its end) where it might intersect with the current timeline (in this one).

Please Review…both this and **_'Secrets 2 - The Story'_** (Have posted the first chapter for that too. Please R&R that too...thanks!)**_  
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